Artists and Writers
- Opal Palmer Adisa, writer
- Edward Baugh, poet
- Louise Bennett-Coverly, poet
- Jean "Binta" Breeze, poet
- Erna Brodber, novelist
- George Campbell, poet
- Glen Carty, technology writer
- Margaret Cezair-Thompson, novelist
- Colin Channer, novelist, co-founder of Calabash
- Michelle Cliff, writer
- Carolyn Cooper, writer and cultural theorist
- Christine Craig, writer
- Kwame Dawes, Ghana-born/Jamaican writer, co-founder of Calabash
- Marcia Douglas, writer
- Garfield Ellis, novelist
- John Figueroa, poet
- Honor Ford-Smith, artist, writer, performer, educator
- Marcus Garvey, political activist
- Thomas Glave, Bronx-born writer
- Lorna Goodison, writer
- Jean Goulbourne, writer
- Stuart Hall, cultural theorist
- Thomas Duffus Hardy, historian
- John Hearne, novelist
- Anthony M Henry, journalist
- Philip Henry, artist
- Roger Mais, novelist
- Edna Manley, sculptor
- Una Marston, writer
- Claude McKay, Writer
- Alecia McKenzie, writer
- Anthony McNeill, poet
- Brian Meeks, novelist
- Pamela Mordecai, poet
- Mervyn Morris, poet
- Kei Miller, writer
- Mutabaruka, poet
- Oku Onuora, writer
- Geoffrey Philp, writer
- Velma Pollard, writer
- Patricia Powell, novelist
- Claudia Rankine, poet
- Victor Stafford Reid, writer
- Andrew Salkey, writer
- Dennis Scott, poet and playwright
- Malachi Smith, poet
- Pamela Colman Smith, artist and writer
- Kiffra Solomon, writer and producer
- Michael Ekweueme Thelwell, writer
- Barrington Watson, artist
- Robert Wedderburn, political activist
- Hope Wheeler artist
- Anthony C. Winkler, writer
- Sylvia Wynter, writer
Business
- Michael Lee-Chin, Chairman/CEO of AIC Limited., Chairman of NCB Jamaica
- Joice Ize-iyamu, (CEO of Rouge Entertainment,artiste managers for 2face Idibia)
- Michael Mordecai, past president of the Atlanta Jamaican Association (AJA). Civil engineer, real estate entrepreneur, sportsman and longtime community leader.
Musicians
- Assassin, deejay
- Buju Banton, reggae singer
- Bounty Killer, reggae musician
- Prince Buster, ska singer & producer
- Canibus, rapper
- Charlie Chaplin, reggae singer
- Clive Chin, record producer
- Tami Chynn, singer/songwriter
- Jimmy Cliff, reggae musician
- Desmond Dekker, Ska and Reggae Singer
- Coxsone Dodd, record producer
- Judge Dread, reggae musician
- Huey Dunbar, Spanish-language singer with group DLG (Jamaican father)
- Elephant Man, reggae singer
- Eek-a-Mouse, reggae singer
- Sean Paul Henriques, Jamaican born- raised in Toronto, Canada, reggae singer
- Ini Kamoze, reggae musician
- Wynton Kelly, jazz pianist
- Diana King, reggae musician
- Kiprich, deejay
- LA Lewis deejay
- Lexxus, deejay
- Beenie Man, deejay
- Prince Malachi, reggae singer
- Bob Marley, legendary reggae musician
- Damian Marley, reggae musician
- Ziggy Marley, reggae musician
- Augustus Pablo, reggae singer
- Patra, Dancehall musician
- Dawn Penn, reggae singer
- Lee "Scratch" Perry, reggae musician
- Ernest Ranglin, jazz, ska, rocksteady and reggae guitarist
- Shabba Ranks, reggae musician
- Duke Reid, record producer
- Busta Rhymes, rapper (parents are Jamaican)
- Winston Rodney, ska musician
- Sasha, deejay
- Lady Saw, reggae musician
- Shaggy, singer/songwriter
- Michael Smith, Dub poet
- T.O.K., a crew of Jamaican deejays
- Peter Tosh, reggae musician
- King Tubby, dub musician
- Mr. Vegas, deejay
- Barry Vincent, guitarist (parents are Jamaican)
Politicians
- Alexander Bustamante, trade unionist
- Colin Luther Powell, 65th United States Secretary of State (parents are Jamaican)
- Michael Manley, Jamaican Prime Minister
- Henry Moore, colonial governor
- Trevor Munroe trade unionist and politician
- P. J. Patterson, Jamaican Prime Minister
- Eddie Seaga, Jamaican Prime Minister
- Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaican Prime Minister
Sports
- Donovan Bailey, Jamaica-born Canadian, world champion sprinter
- Steve Bucknor, international cricket umpire
- Linford Christie, world champion sprinter
- Chili Davis, Jamaica-born American, former star Major League Baseball player
- Patrick Ewing, Jamaica-born American, former NBA star
- Ricardo Gardner, Jamaica-born Premier League and Jamaica national football team football player
- George Headley, cricketer
- Michael Holding, cricketer
- Ben Johnson, Jamaica-born Canadian, sprinter
- Asafa Powell, sprinter
- Donald Quarrie, sprinter
- Mike McCallum, champion boxer
- Merlene Ottey, sprinter
- Courtney Walsh, cricketer
- Devon White, baseball player
- Veronica Campbell, sprinter
Activists
- Brian Williamson, Jamaican Gay & Lesbian activist
- Lenford "Steve" Harvey, Jamaican AIDS activist
- Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
Other Famous Jamaicans
- Carla Campbell, model
- Naomi Campbell, supermodel
- Rudolph V. Francis, (ACCA Accounting Technician, Justice of the Peace St. James)
- Venice Kong, Playboy Playmate
- Jody-Anne Maxwell, Winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
- Ieshia (Powell),model
- Voletta Wallace, Mother of late rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
- Stacey McKenzie , supermodel, actress, and model coach
- Nadine Willis, supermodel