List of Somalis

This is a list of notable Somalis from Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia as well as the Somali diaspora.

Academics

• Ali A. Abdi – sociologist and educationist, and professor of education and international development at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; former president of the Comparative and International Education Society of Canada (CIESC); founding/co-founding editor of the peer reviewed online publications, Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education and Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry
• Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi – scholar, linguist and writer; published on Somali culture, history, language and ethnogenesis
• Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi – academic, politician, analyst. Has written extensively on Somali education reform, language dynamics and climate change
• Ali Jimale Ahmed – poet, essayist, scholar, and short story writer; published on Somali history and linguistics
• Shire Jama Ahmed (c. 1935–1989) – linguist who devised a unique Latin script for the Somali language
• Suleiman Ahmed Gulaid – prominent professor and the president of Amoud University
• Abdirahman Hussein – scholar and teacher at University of Tennessee
• Abdi Kusow – professor of sociology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa; has written extensively on Somali sociology and anthropology
• Mohamed Haji Mukhtar – professor of African and Middle Eastern History at Savannah State University; has written extensively on the history of Somalia and the Somali language
• Ismail Jim'ale Osoble – lawyer, once served as Minister of Information in the government of Aden Abdullah Osman Daar
• Abdi Ismail Samatar – prominent scholar and professor at the University of Minnesota
• Ahmed Ismail Samatar – prominent professor and Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College; editor of Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
• Said Sheikh Samatar (1943–2015) – prominent scholar and writer and former professor of history at Rutgers University; main areas of interest are history and linguistics

Activists

• Elman Ali Ahmed (1935–1996)

– Founder of Elman Peace Centre 

• Dekha Ibrahim Abdi (1964–2011) – peace activist in Kenya
• Zam Zam Abdullahi Abdi – human rights activist and journalist
• Leila Abukar – political activist
• Fartuun Adan – social activist; founder and executive director of the Elman Peace Centre
• Elman Ali Ahmed – entrepreneur and social activist
• Halima Ahmed – political activist with the Youth Rehabilitation Center in Mogadishu
• Hodan Ahmed – political activist and Senior Program Officer at the National Democratic Institute
• Ifrah Ahmed – social activist; founder of the UYI NGO
• Nimco Ahmed – Somali-American political activist; State Director for the DFL
• Abdulkadir Yahya Ali (1957–2005) – peace activist, co-director and founder of the Center for Research and Dialogue.
• Abdirizak Bihi – social activist; Director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center
• Ilwad Elman – social activist at the Elman Peace Centre
• Asha Haji Elmi (Caasha Xaaji Cilmi) (b. 1962) – peace activist in Somalia
• Leyla Hussein – psychotherapist and social activist; Chief Executive of Hawa's Haven; co-founder of Daughters of Eve
• Ahmed Hussen – Somali-Canadian lawyer and social activist; President of the Canadian Somali Congress
• Farhiyo Farah Ibrahim – Somali social activist
• Hanan Ibrahim – social activist based in the UK; founder of the Somali Family Support Group (SFSG)
• Fatima Jibrell (b. 1947) – Somali-American environmental activist; co-founder and executive director of the Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization ("Horn Relief"); co-founder of Sun Fire Cooking; was instrumental in the creation of the Women's Coalition for Peace
• Hirsi Magan (Xirsi Magan Ciise) (1935–2008) – activist, scholar and one of the leading figures of the Somali Revolution
• Magid Magid – Somali-British activist and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of Sheffield
• Adam Matan – activist and community organiser who was the first Somali-Brit to be awarded the OBE medal by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge for services to the Somali community in the United Kingdom.
• Hawa Aden Mohamed – social activist; chairperson of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development
• Musse Olol – American social activist and Chairman of the Somali American Council of Oregon (SACOO)
• Hibaaq Osman – political strategist; chairperson of the ThinkTank for Arab Women, the Dignity Fund, and El-Karama
• Hawo Tako (d. 1948) – early 20th century female nationalist whose sacrifice became a symbol for pan-Somalism
• Mohamud Siad Togane (b. 1943) – Somali Canadian poet, professor, and political activist
• Shadya Yasin – Somali-Canadian social activist and member of the Ontario Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities

Artists

• Aar Maanta – singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer
• Abdi Sinimo (c. 1920s–1967) – artist and inventor of the Balwo musical style
• Abdullahi Qarshe (1924–1994) – musician, poet and playwright known for his innovative styles of music which included a wide variety of musical instruments such as the guitar, piano, and oud
• Alisha Boe – actress, known for portraying Jessica in Netflix's original series 13 Reasons Why.
• Ali Feiruz (1931–1994) – musician; one of the first generation of Somali artists; prominent member of Hobolada Waaberi musical troupes
• Amin Amir – Somali-Canadian cartoonist and painter
• Barkhad Abdi – actor, best known for his portrayal of Abduwali Muse in the film, yCaptain Phillips, co-starring Tom Hanks
• Elisa Kadigia Bove – Somali-Italian actress and activist
• Guduuda 'Arwo – singer
• Hassan Sheikh Mumin (1930/31–2008) – poet, reciter, playwright, broadcaster, actor and composer
• Hasan Adan Samatar (b. 1953) – artist during the 1970s and 80s
• Dada Masiti, Ashraf poet, mystic and Islamic scholar.
• Mohamed Mooge Liibaan (1942–1984) – artist, teacher, instrumentalist, poetry and veteran
• Ahmed Mooge Liibaan (d. 1997) – artist from the Radio Hargeisa generation
• Magool (1948–2004) (Halima Khaliif Omar) – considered in Somalia as one of the greatest entertainers of all time
• Mohamed Sulayman Tubeec the King of Vocals
• Mocky (Dominic Salole) (b. 1974) – Somali-Canadian pop music performer
• Maryam Mursal (b. 1950) – musician, composer and vocalist whose work has been produced by the record label Real World
• Nimco Happy – singer
• Marian Joan Elliott Said (Poly Styrene) (1957–2011) – pioneering Somali-British punk rock singer with X-Ray Spex
• Jiim Sheikh Muumin – singer and instrumentalist
• Jonis Bashir – Somali-Italian actor and singer
• K'naan (b. 1978) – Somali-Canadian hip hop artist
• Khadija Qalanjo – singer and folklore dancer in the 1970s and 1980s
• Saba Anglana – Somali-Italian actress and international singer
• Waaberi – Somalia's foremost musical group; toured throughout several countries in Africa and Asia, including Egypt, Sudan and China
• Waayaha Cusub – music collective led by Falis Abdi
• Xiddigaha Geeska – Somali music band based in Hargeisa

Athletes

• Liban Abdi (b. 1988) – international footballer; currently plays for Ferencvárosi TC in the Hungarian First Division, on loan from Sheffield United of England
• Mohammed Ahamed (b. 1985) – Somali-Norwegian – Canadian Olympian in 2012, Nike-sponsored athlete
• Abdi Mohamed Ahmed (b. 1962) – professional footballer
• Ahmed Said Ahmed (b. 1998) – professional footballer
• Omar Artan (b. 1992) – FIFA football referee
• Amin Askar (b. 1985) – Somali-Norwegian professional football player, playing for Fredrikstad FK in the Norwegian Premier League
• Faisal Jeylani Aweys – taekwondo practitioner
• Zahra Bani (b. 1979) – Somali-Italian javelin thrower
• Abdi Bile (b. 1962) – world champion middle distance runner in the 1500 metres, and three time Olympian
• Ayub Daud (b. 1990) – international footballer who plays as a forward/attacking midfielder for A.S. Gubbio 1910, on loan from Juventus
• Rizak Dirshe (b. 1972) – Swedish middle distance runner
• Mo Farah (b. 1983) – Somali-British gold medalist in international track and field; currently holds the British indoor record in the 3000 metre and won the 3000 m at the 2009 European Indoor Championships in Turin
• Youssouf Hersi (b. 1982)– professional footballer
• Abdisalam Ibrahim (b. 1991) – Somali-Norwegian footballer who plays for Manchester City; Premier League's first Somali player and also the first East African
• Fabio Liverani (b. 1976) – Somali-Italian international footballer
• Mustafa Mohamed (b. 1979) – Somali-Swedish long-distance runner who mainly competes in the 3000 meter steeplechase; won gold in the 2006 Nordic Cross Country Championships and at the first SPAR European Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal in 2009; beat the 31-year-old Swedish record in 2007
• Saadiq Abdikadir Mohamed (b. 1996) – Somali footballer having represented Kenya and Somalia internationally
• Mustafa Mahamuud (b. 1998) - fastest Somali in history

Authors

• Jama Musse Jama (Jaamac Muuse Jaamac) (b. 1967) – ethnomathematician and writer
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Ayaan Xirsi Cali or Ayaan Hirsi Magan) (b. 1969) – feminist and political writer
• Gaariye (Mohamed Hashi Dhamac) (b. 1951) – poet and writer
• Yasmine Allas – actress and writer
• Farah Awl (1937–1991) – author; specialized in historical fiction
• Cristina Ali Farah (b. 1973) – Somali-Italian writer and poet
• Elmi Boodhari (d. 1940) – pioneer, writer and poet, known as (King of Romance) among Somalis
• Nuruddin Farah (b. 1945) – considered one of the greatest contemporary writers in the world
• Musa Haji Ismail Galal (b. 1917) – writer, scholar, historian and linguist; one of the foremost historical authorities on the Somali astrological, astronomical, meteorological and calendrical systems
• Hadrawi (Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame) (b. 1943) – songwriter, philosopher, and Somali Poet Laureate; dubbed the "Somali Shakespeare"
• Afdhere Jama (b. 1980) – Somali-American writer based in San Francisco
• Abdukadir Osman – writer
• Aadan Carab, poet who narrated the Dhulbahante genocide at the hands of European colonialists in the Darawiish era
• Salaan Carrabey (d. 1943) – legendary poet
• Hussein M. Adam – writer, journalist and professor
• Ladan Osman – poet and teacher
• Sofia Samatar – Somali-American writer
• Igiaba Scego – Somali-Italian writer
• Warsan Shire (b. 1988) – poet
• Abdillahi Suldaan Mohammed Timacade (1920–1973) – poet known for his nationalist poems such as "Kana siib Kana Saar"
• Abdourahman Waberi (b. 1965) – writer and teacher
• Nadifa Mohamed – Somali-British novelist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Directors

• Fathia Absie – film director, broadcaster and writer
• Said Salah Ahmed – playwright, poet, educator and filmmaker
• Mo Ali – Somali-British film director
• Ali Said Hassan – film director and producer; former Somali Film Agency representative
• Idil Ibrahim – filmmaker; founder of Zeila Films
• Soraya Miré – writer, filmmaker and activist
• Barni Ahmed Qaasim – multimedia artist and filmmaker
• Abdulkadir Ahmed Said (b. 1953) – film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor

Entrepreneurs

• Nasra Agil – Somali-Canadian civil engineer and entrepreneur
• Omar A. Ali – entrepreneur, accountant, philanthropist, and specialist on Islamic finance; formerly CEO of DMI Trust, currently chairman of Integrated Property Investments Ltd and Quadron investments
• Abdirashid Duale – entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the CEO of the multinational enterprise Dahabshiil
• Liban Abdi Egal – founder and Chairman of First Somali Bank
• Faisal Hawar – engineer and entrepreneur; CEO, President, and co-founder of the International Somalia Development Foundation as well as the Maakhir Resource Company
• Amina Moghe Hersi (b. 1963) – entrepreneur; has launched several multimillion-dollar projects in Kampala, Uganda, such as the Oasis Centre luxury mall and the Laburnam Courts; runs Kingstone Enterprises Limited, one of the largest distributors of cement and other hardware materials in Kampala
• Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim – twin fashion designers and owners of the Mataano brand
• Aden Mohammed – banker and entrepreneur; managing director of Barclays Bank in East and West Africa; under his tenure BBK won the Banker Awards 2009
• Hodan Nalayeh – media executive and entrepreneur; President of the Cultural Integration Agency and the Vice President of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International
• Hussein Shire – businessman; founder and former CEO of Gateway Bus Company

Journalists

• Mona Kosar Abdi – Somali-American multimedia journalist
• Hassan Abdillahi – journalist and social activist; founder and Chairman of Ogaal Radio
• Mohamoud Sheikh Dalmar – journalist and Islamic scholar
• Rageh Omaar (b. 1967) – Somali-British author and television news presenter; formerly a BBC news correspondent; in 2009, he moved to a new post at Al Jazeera English, where he currently presents the nightly weekday documentary series Witness
• Mohamed Abshir Waldo – political activist and journalist
• Ahmed Mohamed Kismayo – Somali journalist (died 2017)
• Abdirahman Yabarow – journalist; Editor-in-Chief of the VOA's Somali service

Judges

• Abdulqawi Yusuf (b. 1948) – international lawyer, judge and former president of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
• Adan Haji Ali – judge and current Chief Justice of Somaliland
• Khadra Hussein Mohammad – lawyer and first National Deputy Prosecutor in Somaliland
• Yusuf Haji Nur – former judge and President of the Supreme Court of the autonomous region of Puntland.

Military

• Haji Yusuf Barre – commander of the biggest battle in Darawiish history, i.e. Jidbali; was the sole defender of Taleh Dhulbahante garesa
• Abdullahi Afrah (aasbaro)- leader in the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC)
• Sheikh Hassan Barsane – religious and nationalist leader who fought for freedom in the Somalia and fought many wars with Italy
• Yusuf Agararan – led most successful Darawiish raid since Dul Madoba
• Ibraahin Xoorane – Darawiish commander who killed Richard Corfield
• Axmed Aarey – Darawiish artillery commander who abetted Richard Corfield's death
• Afqarshe Ismail – former Darawiish spokesman-poet; first person to die in an airstrike in Africa
• General Mohamed Abshir Muse – First General, the commander of Somalia police 1960 1968
• General Nuh Ismail Tani – current chief of staff of Somaliland Armed Forces
• Abdikarim Yusuf Adam – army officer and Chief of TFG Army
• Muktar Hussein Afrah – officer in the army of the Transitional Federal Government
• Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki (b. 1944) – Islamist leader in Somalia and military leader in the Islamic Courts Union
• Mohammed Hussein Ali (b. 1956) – major general in the Kenyan Army and former commissioner of the Kenya Police
• Botan Ise Alin (Bootaan Ciise Caalin) – former faction leader and former member of the Transitional Federal Government
• Osman Ali Atto (Cismaan Xasan Cali) (b. 1940) – faction leader affiliated with the Somali National Alliance
• Akil Dhahar – leader of the Sanaag region and some portions of the Bari region
• Matan ibn Uthman Al Somali (c. 1500–1531) – 16th century general of the Adal Sultanate
• Hasna Doreh – early 20th-century Somali female commander of Diiriye Guure
• Abdillahi Fadal Iman (1960–2019) – former commissioner of Somaliland Police Force
• Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade (Maxamed Ibraahim Xaabsade) – rebel soldier
• Hussein Hasan – famous warrior and poet
• Farah Nur – warrior and poet
• Guled Haji – wise sage and commander
• Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856–1920) – Dervish movement during the Scramble for Africa
• Ibrahim Boghol – commander of the Dervish movement
• Daud Abdulle Hirsi (1960–1965) – Somali general, considered the father of the Somali Military
• Ahmed Madobe – chairman and military commander of Raskamboni movement
• Salaad Gabeyre Kediye (d. 1972) – major general in the Somali military; a revolutionary
• Mohamed Adan Saqadhi (b. 1967) – current Commissioner of Somaliland Police Force
• Mahamoud Mohamed – former Chief of General Staff of the Kenya Defence Forces
• Mohamed Afrah Qanyare (Maxamed Qanyare Afrax) (b. 1941) – former faction leader
• Abdi Qeybdid (Cabdi Xasan Cawaale Qeybdiid) (b. 1948) – militia leader affiliated with the Somali National Alliance
• Muhammad Ali Samatar – former Minister of Defense; first vice president; Grand Commander of the Somali National Army (1969–1987)
• Yusuf Ahmed Sarinle (d. 2005) – general, commander of the Transitional National Government police force
• Osman Omar Wehliye – commander of the Somali Police Force from March 2011
• Ahmed Abdi Godane – former military leader of Al-Shabaab
• Kite Fiqi – warrior and poet
• General Yusuf Tallan – former Somali military commander

Models

• Halima Aden (b. September 19, 1997) – American fashion model. She is noted for being the first Somali-American to compete and become a semi-finalist in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.
• Jawahir Ahmed (b. 1991) – Somali-American model; as Miss Somalia, won 2013 Miss Africa Utah and was 2nd runner up in the 2013 Miss United Nations USA pageant
• Waris Dirie (b. 1965) – model, author, actress and human rights activist
• Ubah Hassan – Somali-Canadian model
• Iman (Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid) (b. 1955) – international fashion icon, supermodel, actress and entrepreneur
• Fatima Siad (b. 1986) – third-place finisher on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10; professional model
• Mona Tougaard – Danish-born model
• Yasmin Warsame (b. 1976) – Somali-Canadian model; in 2004, she was named "The Most Alluring Canadian" in a poll by Fashion magazine

Royals

• Diiriye Guure – head of the Dhulbahante during Dervish era
• Ibrahim Adeer – Somali Sultan; founder of the Sultanate of the Geledi
• Caaqil Dheryodhoobe – Sultan Of Duduble In The Late 1600s
• Osman Ahmed – last Sultan of the Geledi Sultanate
• Ahmad ibn Ali (fl. mid-14th century) – Somali Governor of the Ifat Sultanate
• Arrawelo – Somali Queen of 300 B.C.
• Gerad Ali Dable (d. 1503) – 12th Sultan of the Warsangali Sultanate
• Guled Abdi – first Grand sultan of the Isaaq
• Farah Guled – second Grand Sultan of the Isaaq
• Gerad Dhidhin (d. 1311) – founder of the Warsangali Sultanate
• Olol Diinle – last Sultan of the Neo-Ajuran Sultanate
• Deria Sugulleh Ainashe – second Sultan of the Habr Yunis
• Awad Deria – fifth Sultan of the Habr Yunis
• Mahamud Ibrahim – second Sultan of the Sultanate of the Geledi
• Yusuf Mahamud Ibrahim – third Sultan of the Geledi Sultanate and victor of the Bardera wars
• Yusuf Ali Kenadid – Somali ruler, and the founder of the Sultanate of Hobyo in the 1880s
• Osman Mahamuud – King of the Majeerteen Sultanate in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries
• Mahfuz – Emir of Harar and Governor of Zeila in the Adal Sultanate
• Abdillahi Deria – fifth Grand Sultan of the isaaq Garhejis [Eidagale]
• Abdulrahman Deria – Sultan of the Habr Awal
• Nur ibn Mujahid (d. 1567) – 16th-century Somali Emir and patron saint of Harar
• Faduma Sarjelle – Somali princess of the House of Garen
• Mohamoud Ali Shire (d. 1960) – 26th Sultan of the Warsangali Sultanate from 1897 to 1960
• Hersi Aman – legendary 3rd Sultan of the Habr Yonis
• Ahmed Yusuf (d. 1878) – fourth Sultan of the Gobroon Dynasty well versed in Islam and dominant in the Banadir
• Nur Ahmed Aman (d. 1908) – fourth Habr Yunis Sultan & major Dervish leader
• Deria Hassan – fourth Sultan of the Isaaq clan

Pilots

• Asli Hassan Abade – first Somali female pilot; prominent member of the Somali Air Force; paved the way for gender equality within the military ranks
• Ali Matan Hashi – first Somali pilot and prominent member of SRC
• Mustafa Mohamed Moalim (Mustafa Maxamed Macalin) (1943–2009) – first Somali fighter pilot; chief of the Somali Air Force School; chief of the Somali Air Force Operations
• Muse Bihi Abdi – Somali air pilot
• Khalif Isse Mudan – Balidoogle military base pilot

Politicians

Scientists

• Abdusalam Abubakar (b. 1989/90) – one of the youngest winners of the BT Young Scientist of the Year Award; later went on to win the European Union Contest for Young Scientists for his project, An Extension of Wiener's Attack on RSA
• Hassan al-Jabarti (d. 1774) – mathematician, theologian, astronomer and philosopher, considered one of the great scholars of the 18th century
• Ali Said Faqi – scientist and the leading researcher on the design and interpretation of toxicology studies at the MPI research center in Mattawan, Michigan
• Jama Musse Jama (b. 1967) – ethnomathematician and author; known for his research on traditional Somali board games such as Shax and the history of mathematics in the Horn of Africa and the founder of Hargeisa Cultural Center
• Ahmed Mumin Warfa – scientist, specialised in botany and jointly discovered the Cyclamen somalense, the first genus from tropical Africa with his colleague Mats Thulin; the "world's pre-eminent authority on frankincense"; professor at Salt Lake Community College

Muslim theologians

• Ishaaq bin Ahmed – 12th century cleric and forefather of the large Isaaq clan-family
• Sheikh Ali Warsame (1939–2022), prominent Somali Islamic cleric and preacher
• Abd al Aziz al-Amawi (1832–1896) – 19th-century diplomat, historian, poet, jurist and scholar living in the Sultanate of Zanzibar
• Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah – Somali Cleric assassinated by Al-Shabab 2013
• Uways al-Barawi (1847–1909) – scholar credited with reviving Islam in 19th-century East Africa and with followers in Yemen and Indonesia
• Sheikh Madar (1825–1918) – Qadiriyya leader who was influential in the expansion of Hargeisa
• Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (1753–1825) – scholar living in Cairo; recorded the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt
• Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti (fl. 10th–11th centuries) – early Muslim leader and forefather of the Darod clan
• Ali al-Jabarti (d. 1492) – 15th-century scholar and politician in the Mamluk Empire
• Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn – 13th-century scholar and saint; associated with the development of Wadaad's writing
• Abdallah al-Qutbi (1879–1952) – polemicist theologian and philosopher; best known for his Al-Majmu'at al-mubaraka ("The Blessed Collection"), a five-part compilation of polemics
• Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i (1820–1882) – scholar; played a crucial role in the spread of the Qadiriyya movement in Somalia and East Africa
• Abadir Umar Ar-Rida – 13th-century cleric and saint of Harar; forefather of the Sheekhaal Somali clan
• Sa'id of Mogadishu – 14th-century scholar and traveler; his reputation as a scholar earned him audiences with the Emirs of Mecca and Medina; travelled across the Muslim world and visited Bengal and China
• Shaykh Sufi – born Abdul-Rahman bin Abdallah al Shashi (Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن عبد الله شاشي) (1829–1904), 19th-century scholar, poet, reformist and astrologist
• Uthman bin Ali Zayla'i (d. 1342) – 14th-century theologian and jurist who wrote the single most authoritative text on the Hanafi school of Islam, four volumes known as the Tabayin al-Haqa'iq li Sharh Kanz al-Daqa'iq
• Hussain Bisad – tallest Somali man alive; has the largest hand span in the world
• Haji Ali Majeerteen – popularly known as al-Majeerteen; was a Somali Sheikh and poet

See also

• Somali people
• Music of Somalia
• Music of Djibouti
• Somali culture

References