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
 * 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

 * Dekha Ibrahim Abdi (1964–2011) – peace activist in Kenya
 * Suad Abdi – Women's rights activist from Somaliland
 * 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
 * Hanad Zakaria Warsame (1952–2008) – doctor and anti-Communist 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
 * 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
 * Sulekha Ali – Somali-Canadian singer-songwriter
 * 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
 * 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
 * Ahmed Said Ahmed
 * 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

Authors

 * Jama Musse Jama – 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

 * Abdisalam Aato – film director and producer; leader in Somaliwood cinematic movement
 * 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
 * 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
 * Hussein Mohamed – entrepreneur; Vice Chairman of the Eastleigh Business Association
 * 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
 * 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
 * Nur Hedik – commander of the Dooxato (Darawiish cavalry); a Shiikhyaale regiment is named after him
 * 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
 * Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (c. 1507–1543) – 16th-century Imam and military commander; led the Conquest of Abyssinia
 * 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

 * Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (c. 1506 – February 21, 1543) – Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate who invaded Abyssinia and defeated several Abyssinian emperors.
 * Ali ibn Sabr ad-Din (fl. after 1344) – Somali Governor of the Ifat Sultanate
 * Haqq ad-Din I (fl. 1328) – Somali Emir of the Sultanate of Ifat
 * Jamal ad-Din I (fl. mid-14th century) – Somali Governor of the Ifat Sultanate
 * Sabr ad-Din I (fl. 1332) – Somali Emir of the Ifat Sultanate
 * Haqq ad-Din II (ruled late 14th century) – Somali Sultan of the Ifat Sultanate
 * Sa'ad ad-Din II (ruled c. 1400) – Somali Sultan of the Ifat Sultanate
 * Diiriye Guure – head of the Dhulbahante during Dervish era
 * Ibrahim Adeer – Somali Sultan; founder of the Sultanate of the Geledi
 * 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
 * Ali Yusuf Kenadid – second Sultan of the Sultanate of Hobyo
 * Hassan Farah – third Grand Sultan of the Isaaq
 * 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

Presidents of Somalia

 * Abdiqasim Salad (Cabdiqaasim Salaad Xasan) (b. 1941) – former President of Somalia
 * Ali Mahdi Muhammad (1938–2021) – fourth President of Somalia
 * Abdirashid Shermarke (1919–1969) – second President of Somalia
 * Aden Daar (1908–2007) – Somali politician and the country's first president
 * Siad Barre (1919–1995) – third President of Somalia
 * Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934–2012) – former President of Somalia, first President of Puntland, founder of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, the Puntland State of Somalia, and the Transitional Federal Government
 * Muse Hassan Sheikh Sayid Abdulle (b. 1940) – former acting President of Somalia and former Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia; former General in the Somali National Army
 * Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (b. 1964) – former President of Somalia and former Chairman of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia. He was also Commander in Chief of the Islamic Courts Union.

Presidents of Puntland

 * Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934–2012) – former President of Somalia, first President of Puntland, founder of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, the Puntland State of Somalia, and the Transitional Federal Government
 * Yusuf Haji Nur (Yuusuf Xaaji Nuur) – former acting President of Puntland
 * Jama Ali Jama – former President of Puntland
 * Mohamed Abdi Hashi (d. July 12, 2020) – First Vice President of Puntland (1998-2004) and Second President of Puntland ~interim (2004-2005)
 * Mohamud Muse Hersi Cadde (d. August 1, 2020) – Third President of Puntland (2005-2009)
 * Abdirahman Farole (b. 1945) – Fourth President of Puntland (2009-2014)
 * Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas (b. 1963) – Fifth President of Puntland (2014-2019)
 * Said Abdullahi Deni (b. 1965) – Sixth and current President of Puntland ($$\thicksim$$2019)
 * Hassan Dahir Afqurac (d. 2013) – Third Vice President of Puntland (2005 –2009)
 * Abdisamad Ali Shire (d. 2021) – Fourth Vice President of Puntland (2009-2014)
 * Abdihakim Abdullahi Haji Omar Amey – Fifth Vice President of Puntland (2014-2019)
 * Ahmed Elmi Osman Karaash – Sixth and current Vice President of Puntland ($$\thicksim$$2019)

Presidents of Somaliland

 * Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur (1931–2003) – first President of Somaliland 1991-1993
 * Abdirahman Aw Ali Farrah – third Vice President of Somaliland 1995-1997
 * Dahir Riyale Kahin (b. 1952) – third President of Somaliland 2002-2010
 * Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (b. 1936) – fourth President of Somaliland 2010-2017
 * Muse Bihi Abdi (b. 1948) – fifth and current President of Somaliland 2017-?

Presidents of Djibouti

 * Hassan Gouled Aptidon (1916–2006) – first President of Djibouti, 1977-1999
 * Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (b. 1947) – second and current President of Djibouti

Acting Presidents

 * Mohamed Jawari – acting President of Somalia and incumbent Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia
 * Aden Madobe – former acting President of Somalia
 * Michael Mariano (d. 1987) – Somali Youth League member, Ambassador, and notable advocate for occupied Somalis in Ethiopia

Prime ministers

 * Cabbaas Xuseen – first prime minister of the Darawiish (1895–1900)
 * Abdirashid Shermarke – first Prime Minister of Somalia after independence ~1960
 * Xaashi Suni Fooyaan – peace-time prime minister of the Darawiish (1905–1906)
 * Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Abdiweli Gaas – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Osman Jama Ali (Cismaan Jaamac Cali) (b. 1941) – Prime Minister under the Transitional National Government
 * Muse Bihi Abdi (b. 1948) – former military officer; Chairman of the Peace, Unity, and Development Party and current President of Somaliland
 * Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal (Maxamed Xaaji Ibraahim Cigaal) (1993–2002) – President of Somaliland and former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Hassan Abshir Farah (Xasan Abshir Faarax) (b. 1945) – former Prime Minister of Somalia, former Mayor of Mogadishu, and MP
 * Ali Khalif Galaydh (Cali Khalif Galaydh) (1941–2020) – former Prime Minister of Somalia under the Transitional National Government
 * Umar Arteh Ghalib (Cumar Carte Qaalib) (1922–2020) – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Ali Ghedi (Cali Maxamed Geedi) (b. 1951) – former Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
 * Abdiwahid Gonjeh – former Acting Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Abdi Farah Shirdon – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Abdirizak Haji Hussein (Cabdirasaaq Xaaji Xuseen) (1924–2014) – Prime Minister of Somalia early in the 1960s
 * Nur Hassan Hussein (Nuur Xasan Xuseen "Nuur Cade") (1938–2020) – former Prime Minister of the TFG
 * Abdullahi Issa (Cabdullahi Ciise Maxamuud) (1922–1988) – first Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Muhammad Abdi Yusuf – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Hassan Ali Khaire (b. 1968) – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ("Farmajo") (b. 1962) – former Prime Minister of Somalia and current President
 * Omar Sharmarke (b. 1960) – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Mohamed Hussein Roble – former Prime Minister of Somalia
 * Hamza Abdi Barre – current Prime Minister of Somalia

Other politicians

 * Asha Ahmed Abdalla – Somali parliamentarian and activist
 * Yusuf Hassan Abdi (b. 1958) – senior Somali diplomat; Member of Kenya Parliament
 * Zahra Abdulla (b. 1966) – Somali politician in Finland; a member of the Helsinki City Council, representing the Green League
 * Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi – former speaker of House of Representatives of Somaliland and founder of Waddani Party
 * Fowziya Yusuf Haji Adan – former Foreign Minister of Somalia
 * Abdullahi Ahmed Addow (Cabdilaahi Axmed Caddoow) (b. 1936) – senior Somali politician and diplomat
 * Ali Mohamed Ahmed – Head of Somali Business union and former Somali Customs Manager; Former Adviser of Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
 * Mohamed Kahin Ahmed – current Minister of Interior of Somaliland
 * Abdurrahman Mahmoud Aidiid – current Mayor of Hargesia
 * Mohamed Farrah Aidid (Maxamed Faarax Caydiid) (1934–1996) – chairman of the United Somali Congress and later the Somali National Alliance
 * Fatuma Ibrahim Ali – Somali legislator; MP in National Assembly of Kenya
 * Abdihakim Amey – Vice President of Puntland
 * Abukar Arman – Somali writer and diplomat; former Special Envoy of Somalia to the United States
 * Hassan Dahir Aweys (Xasan Daahir Aweys) (b. 1935) – head of the 90-member Shura council of the Islamic Courts Union
 * Abdirahman Jama Barre – former Foreign Minister of Somalia and close relative of Siad Barre; longest-serving Somali diplomat
 * Haji Bashir – first President of the Somali National Assembly; former Minister of Health and Labour of Somalia
 * Fatimo Isaak Bihi – ambassador to Geneva and former Director of the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 * Ali Dhere – cleric; head of the first Islamic Courts Union in Mogadishu in 1996; spokesman for Al-Shabaab
 * Hussein Ali Duale (Xuseen Cali Ducaale) – former Finance Minister of Somaliland, and former ambassador of Somalia to Kenya and Uganda
 * Hussein Abdi Dualeh – former Minister of Energy & Minerals of Somaliland
 * Adan Ahmed Elmi – former Minister of Agriculture of Somaliland
 * Bashe Mohamed Farah – speaker of the House of Representatives of Somaliland
 * Adde Gabow (Mohamed Ali Hassan or Maxamed Cali Xasan) – former governor of the Banaadir region and mayor of Mogadishu
 * Suleiman Haglotosiye – former Minister of Health of Somaliland
 * Anisa Hajimumin – Somali-American politician, social activist and writer; Minister of Women & Family Affairs of Puntland
 * Bur'i Mohamed Hamza – State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia
 * Abdulkadir Abdi Hashi – politician; MP and former Minister of State for Planning and International Cooperation of Puntland
 * Abdishakur Mohamoud Hassan – current Mayor of Berbera
 * Ahmed M. Hassan – Somali American member-elect of the Clarkston City Council
 * Hassan Abdallah Hassan – current Mayor of Bosaso
 * Mohamed Moallim Hassan – politician who served as minister of fishery and marine resources of Somalia, 2010-2011
 * Sadak Omar Hassan – politician and Brigadier General
 * Mark Hendrick (b. 1958) – Somali-British politician and Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament
 * Mohamud Siraji – Member of Somali Parliament
 * Abdirashid Mohamed Hidig (Cabdirashiid Maxamed Xidig) – Member of Parliament in the Transitional Federal Parliament
 * Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein (Sheekh Mukhtaar Maxamed Xuseen) (b. 1912) – speaker of parliament and interim president
 * Zakia Hussein – politician; Secretary General of the Hanoolaato Party
 * Halima Ismail Ibrahim – Chair of Somalia's National Independent Electoral Commission
 * Mohamed Mohamud Ibrahim (b. 1946/47) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia
 * Jaylaani Nur Ikar – first Deputy Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia
 * Yusuf Mohammed Siad Inda'ade (Yuusuf Maxamed Siyaad "Indhacadde") – member of the Islamic Courts Union
 * Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail (Cabdullaahi Sheekh Ismaaciil) – deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in the TFG
 * Edna Adan Ismail (Edna Aadan Ismaaciil) (b. 1937) – former Foreign Minister of Somaliland
 * Ismail Ali Ismail – writer and former diplomat
 * Bashir Isse – Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia
 * Ali Ibrahim Jama – current Governor of the Central Bank of Somaliland
 * Ahmed Sheikh Jama – academician, writer, poet and politician; former Minister of Information of Puntland
 * Farah Ali Jama – politician; former Minister of Finance of Puntland
 * Abdirizak Jurile – Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (1989-1991); Minister of Planning and International cooperation (2005-2008); Minister of telecommunications (2009-2011); Member of the Upper House of the Federal Government of Somalia; Senator (2016)
 * Maryam Kassim – Minister of Social Development of Somalia
 * Mohamed Kiimiko – politician and diplomat
 * Farah Maalim – current deputy speaker of the Kenyan parliament
 * Mahboub Maalim – diplomat; Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
 * Hassan Ali Mire – politician; first Minister of Education of the Somali Democratic Republic
 * Abdinur Sheikh Mohamed – Somali-American educator and politician; former Minister of Education, Higher Education and Culture of Somalia
 * Ali Omar Mohamed – former Manager of Berbera Port
 * Amina Mohamed – former Chairman of the International Organization for Migration and the World Trade Organisation's General Council, and current Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya
 * Hussein Maalim Mohamed – former Kenyan Minister of State in the office of the president
 * Hassan Haji Mohamoud – former Minister of Education of Somaliland
 * Yasin Haji Mohamoud – current Foreign Minister of Somaliland
 * Mohamed Hassan Maidane – current Mayor of Borama
 * Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan (Maxamed Siciid Xirsi Moorgan) – son-in-law of Siad Barre and Minister of Defense of Somalia
 * Gobsan Muhumed – member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia and the Pan-African Parliament
 * Ismail Qasim Naji (Ismaaciil Qaasim Naaji) – chief of staff of the Transitional Federal Government
 * Ahmed Abdi Ogle (1937–2006) – first Somali to serve in the Kenyan Parliament in the 60s; three times elected and served as Assistant Minister and later Deputy Mayor of Nairobi
 * Daud Mohamed Omar – Minister of Mineral Resources of Somalia
 * Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar – former Foreign Minister of Somalia
 * Mohammad Abdullahi Omar – politician; former Foreign Minister of Somaliland
 * Daud Mohamed Omar – Minister of Mineral Resources of Somalia
 * Ilhan Omar – U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 5th congressional district
 * Mohamed Amin Osman – member of the Transitional Federal Parliament
 * Sheikhnor Abikar Qassim – founder of one of the Southern Somali Union
 * Saynab Qayad – member of the Transitional federal parliament of Somalia
 * Ali Said Raygal – former Minister of Youth and Sports of Somaliland
 * Yusuf Warsame Saeed – former Mayor of Hargeisa
 * Abdirahman Saylici – current Vice President of Somaliland
 * Mohamed Aden Sheikh (c. 1925–2010) – intellectual, former head of Somali Technological Development, former Minister of Education, and former Minister of Health
 * Dr. Saad Ali Shire – current Finance Minister of Somaliland
 * Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji (1985-2017) – Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction
 * Faysal Ali Warabe – engineer and politician; founder and Chairman of (UCID political party
 * Abdi Warsame – Somali American member-elect of the Minneapolis City Council
 * Saado Ali Warsame – singer-songwriter and politician; former MP in the Federal Parliament of Somalia
 * Adan Keynan Wehliye – Kenyan politician and long time member of parliament from Wajir
 * Ahmed Yusuf Yasin (b. 1957) – former Vice President of Somaliland
 * Mohamed Bihi Yonis (b. 1947) – Deputy Joint United Nations African Union Special Representative for Darfur and former Foreign Minister of Somaliland
 * Maryan Abdullahi Yusuf – banker; Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia
 * Ahmed Abdallah Wayel – former Minister of Education (2012)
 * Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi (b. 1968) – Somali politician, Sufi, author, educator and poet; the governor of Gedo region, 2006–2009
 * Hamse Mohamed Abdi - Somaliland politician; Governor of Togdheer 2018-present

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
 * 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