''See also'' Mulattos in Jamaica Afro-Jamaicans are

Jamaicans Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed a ...

of predominantly African descent. They represent the largest

ethnic An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

group in the country. The

ethnogenesis Ethnogenesis (; ) is the formation and development of an ethnic group. This can originate by group self-identification or by outside identification. The term ''ethnogenesis'' was originally a mid-19th-century neologism that was later introduce ...

of the Black Jamaican people stemmed from the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

of the 16th century, when enslaved Africans were transported as slaves to Jamaica and other parts of the Americas. During the period of British rule, slaves brought to Jamaica by European slave traders were primarily Akan, some of whom ran away and joined with

Jamaican Maroons Jamaican Maroons descend from Africans who freed themselves from slavery in the Colony of Jamaica and established communities of Free black people in Jamaica, free black people in the island's mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern Pari ...

and even took over as leaders.

Origin

During the

, millions of people from West and Central Africa were enslaved and sold to European slave traders, primarily for transportation to the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. Most were captured in the frequent wars between African states, which were often fomented by the slave traders for this purpose, or were kidnapped in raids by African or European slavers directly. After the

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

in the British West Indies, in 1834, free African labourers known as indentured labourers, came to Jamaica between 1841 and 1865—during the period of indentureship.

Ethnicities

Based on slave ship records, enslaved Africans mostly came from the

Akan people The Akan () people are a kwa languages, Kwa group living primarily in present-day Ghana and in parts of Ivory Coast and Togo in West Africa. The Akan speak languages within the Central Tano languages, Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano la ...

(notably those of the Asante Kotoko alliance of the 1720s: Asante, Bono, Wassa, Nzema and Ahanta) followed by

Kongo people The Kongo people (also , singular: or ''M'kongo; , , singular: '') are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others. They have li ...

Fon people The Fon people, also called Dahomeans, Fon nu, Agadja and historically called Jeji (Djedji) by the Yoruba in the South American diaspora and in colonial French literature are a Gbe ethnic group.

Ewe people The Ewe people (; , lit. "Ewe people"; or ''Mono Kple Amu (Volta) Tɔ́sisiwo Dome'', lit. "Between the Rivers Mono and Volta"; ''Eʋenyígbá'' Eweland) are a Gbe languages, Gbe-speaking ethnic group. The largest population of Ewe people is in G ...

, and to a lesser degree: Yoruba,

Ibibio people The Ibibio people ( ), also known as Ibom People or Ibom are a coastal people in southern Nigeria. They are mostly found in Akwa Ibom State, Akwa Ibom, Cross River State, Cross River, and the Eastern part of Abia State. During the Colonial Nigeri ...

and

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and historically also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', / / ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Their primary origin is fo ...

. Akan (then called ''Coromantee'') culture was the dominant African culture in Jamaica. Originally in earlier British colonization, the island before the 1750s was in fact mainly Akan imported. However, between 1663 and 1700, only six per cent of slave ships to Jamaica listed their origin as the Gold Coast, while between 1700 and 1720 that figure went up to 27 per cent. The number of Akan slaves arriving in Jamaica from Kormantin ports only increased in the early 18th century. But due to frequent rebellions from the then known "Coromantee" that often joined the slave rebellion group known as the

, other groups were sent to Jamaica. The Akan population was still maintained, since they were the preference of British planters in Jamaica because they were "better workers", according to these planters. According to the Slave Voyages Archives, though the Igbo had the highest importation numbers, they were only imported to Montego Bay and St. Ann's Bay ports, while the Akan (mainly Gold Coast) were more dispersed across the island and were a majority imported to seven of 14 of the island's ports (each parish has one port).

Afro-European

The majority of the house slaves were

mulattoes ( , ) is a racial classification that refers to people of mixed African and European ancestry only. When speaking or writing about a singular woman in English, the word is (). The use of this term began in the United States shortly ...

. There were also Brown/Mulatto or

mixed-race The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mul ...

people at the time who had more privileges than the Black slaves and usually held higher-paying jobs and occupations. In 1871 the census recorded a population of 506,154 people, 246,573 males, and 259,581 females. Their races were recorded as 13,101 White, 100,346 "Coloured," and 392,707 Black.

History

Atlantic slave trade

Myal and Revival

Kumfu (from the word ''Akom'' the name of the Akan spiritual system) was documented as ''Myal'' and originally only found in books, while the term Kumfu is still used by Jamaican Maroons. The priest of Kumfu was called a ''Kumfu-man''. In 18th-century Jamaica, only Akan gods were worshipped by Akan as well as by other enslaved Africans. The Akan god of creation, Nyankopong was given praise but not worshipped directly. They poured libation to Asase Ya, the goddess of the earth. But nowadays they are only observed by the Maroons who preserved a lot of the culture of 1700s Jamaica. "Myal" or Kumfu evolved into Revival, a syncretic Christian sect. Kumfu followers gravitated to the American Revival of 1800 Seventh Day Adventist movement because it observed Saturday as god's day of rest. This was a shared aboriginal belief of the Akan people as this too was the day that the Akan god,

Nyame Onyame, Nyankopɔn (Onyankopɔng) or Ɔdomankoma is the supreme god of the Akan people of Ghana, who is most commonly known as Nyame. The name means "The one who knows and sees everything", and "omniscient, omnipotent sky deity" in the Akan lang ...

, rested after creating the earth. Jamaicans that were aware of their Ashanti past while wanting to keep hidden, mixed their Kumfu spirituality with the American Adventists to create Jamaican Revival in 1860. Revival has two sects: ''60 order'' (or Zion Revival, the order of the heavens) and ''61 order'' (or Pocomania, the order of the earth). 60 order worships God and spirits of air or the heavens on a Saturday and considers itself to be the more "clean" sect. 61 order more deals with spirits of the earth. This division of Kumfu clearly shows the dichotomy of Nyame and Asase Yaa's relationship, Nyame representing ''air'' and has his 60 order'; ''Asase Yaa'' having her 61 order of the ''earth''. Also the Ashanti funerary/war colours: red and black have the same meaning in Revival of ''vengeance''. Other Ashanti elements include the use of swords and rings as means to guard the spirit from spiritual attack. The

Asantehene The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an '' Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and ...

, like the Mother Woman of Revival, has special two swords used to protect himself from witchcraft called an Akrafena or ''soul sword'' and a Bosomfena or ''spirit sword''.

John Canoe

A festival was dedicated to the heroism of the Akan king 'John Canoe' an Ahanta from Axim,

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

, in 1708. See John Canoe section.

Jamaican Patois

Jamaican Patois, known locally as Patwa, is an English

creole language A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...

spoken primarily in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

and the Jamaican diaspora. It is not to be confused with

Jamaican English Jamaican English, including Jamaican Standard English, is the variety of English native to Jamaica and is the official language of the country. A distinction exists between Jamaican English and Jamaican Patois (a creole language), though ...

nor with the Rastafarian use of English. The language developed in the 17th century, when enslaved peoples from West and Central Africa blended their dialect and terms with the learned

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

and

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

al forms of English spoken:

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

es (including significant exposure to Scottish English) and Hiberno English. Jamaican Patwa is a ''

post-creole speech continuum A post-creole continuum (or simply creole continuum) is a dialect continuum of varieties of a creole language between those most and least similar to the superstrate language (that is, a closely related language whose speakers assert or asserted ...

'' (a ''linguistic continuum'') meaning that the variety of the language closest to the lexifier language (the acrolect) cannot be distinguished systematically from intermediate varieties (collectively referred to as the

mesolect A post-creole continuum (or simply creole continuum) is a dialect continuum of varieties of a creole language between those most and least similar to the superstrate language (that is, a closely related language whose speakers assert or asserted ...

) nor even from the most divergent rural varieties (collectively referred to as the

basilect A post-creole continuum (or simply creole continuum) is a dialect continuum of varieties of a creole language between those most and least similar to the superstrate language (that is, a closely related language whose speakers assert or asserted ...

). Jamaicans themselves usually refer to their use of English as patwa, a term without a precise linguistic definition. Jamaican Patois contains many loanwords of African origin, a majority of those etymologically from Gold Coast region (particularly of the Asante-Twi dialect of the Akan language of

Proverbs

Most Jamaican proverbs are of

Asante people The Asante, also known as Ashanti in English (), are part of the Akan people, Akan ethnic group and are native to the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana. Asantes are the last group to emerge out of the various Akan civilisations. Twi is spoken by ...

, while some included other African proverbs.

Genetic studies

Jamaican mtDNA

A DNA test study submitted to BMC Medicine in 2012 states that "....despite the historical evidence that an overwhelming majority of slaves were sent from the Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa near the end of the British slave trade, the mtDNA haplogroup profile of modern Jamaicans show a greater affinity with groups found in the present-day Gold Coast region

....this is because Africans arriving from the Gold Coast may have thus found the acclimatization and acculturation process less stressful because of cultural and linguistic commonalities, leading ultimately to a greater chance of survivorship and a greater number of progeny." More detailed results stated: "Using haplogroup distributions to calculate parental population contribution, the largest admixture coefficient was associated with the Gold Coast with most of the samples taken from the Asante-Akyem area of the

Ashanti region The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of ...

of Ghana(0.477 ± 0.12 or 59.7% of the Jamaican population with a 2.7 chance of Pygmy and Sahelian mixture), suggesting that the people from this region may have been consistently prolific throughout the slave era on Jamaica. Modern day Jamaicans and the

, both share the MTDNA haplogroup of L2a1. The diminutive admixture coefficients associated with the Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa (0.064 ± 0.05 and 0.089 ± 0.05, respectively) is striking considering the massive influx of individuals from these areas in the waning years of the British Slave trade. When excluding the pygmy groups, the contribution from the Bight of Biafra and West-central rise to their highest levels (0.095 ± 0.08 and 0.109 ± 0.06, respectively), though still far from a major contribution. When admixture coefficients were calculated by assessing shared haplotypes, the Gold Coast also had the largest contribution, though much less striking at 0.196, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.189 to 0.203. When haplotypes are allowed to differ by one base pair, the Jamaican matriline shows the greatest affinity with the Bight of Benin, though both Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa remain underrepresented. The results of the admixture analysis suggest the mtDNA haplogroup profile distribution of Jamaica more closely resembles that of aggregated populations from the modern-day Gold Coast region despite an increasing influx of individuals from both the Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa during the final years of trading enslaved Africans. The aforementioned results apply to subjects whom have been tested. Results also stated that black Jamaicans (that make up more than 90% of the population) on an average have 97.5% of African MtDNA and very little European or Asian ancestry could be found. Both ethnic and racial genetic results are based on a low sample of 390 Jamaican persons and limited regional representation within Jamaica. As Afro-Jamaicans are not genetically homogeneous, the results for other subjects may yield different results.

Jamaican Y-DNA

Pub Med results were also issued in the same year (2012): "Our results reveal that the studied population of Jamaica exhibit a predominantly South-Saharan paternal component, with haplogroups A1b-V152, A3-M32, B2-M182, E1a-M33, E1b1a-M2, E2b-M98, and R1b2-V88 comprising 66.7% of the Jamaican paternal gene pool. Yet, European derived chromosomes (i.e., haplogroups G2a*-P15, I-M258, R1b1b-M269, and T-M184) were detected at commensurate levels in Jamaica (19.0%), whereas Y-haplogroups indicative of Chinese -M175 (3.8%)and Indian -M69 (0.6%) and L-M20 (0.6%)ancestry were restricted to Jamaica. African paternal DNA 66.7% European paternal DNA 19.0% Chinese paternal DNA 3.8% Indian paternal DNA 1.2%

Jamaican autosomal DNA

The gene pool of Jamaica is about 80.3%

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

n, 10% European, and 5.7%

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

n; according to a 2010

autosomal An autosome is any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. The members of an autosome pair in a diploid cell have the same morphology, unlike those in allosomal (sex chromosome) pairs, which may have different structures. The DNA in autosome ...

genealogical DNA test A genealogical DNA test is a DNA-based Genetic testing, genetic test used in genetic genealogy that looks at specific locations of a person's genome in order to find or verify ancestral genealogical relationships, or (with lower reliability) to ...

ing.

Notable Afro-Jamaicans

* Agent Sasco * Aleen Bailey * Alex Marshall * Alia Atkinson * Alton Ellis * Alvas Powell * Andre Blake * Asafa Powell * Arthur Wint *

Beenie Man Moses Anthony Davis OD (born 22 August 1973), professionally known as Beenie Man, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. His awards include DJ of the Year Award eight years in a row. His twelfth studio album '' Art and Life'' received a Grammy Award ...

* Beres Hammond *

Big Youth Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican Toasting (J ...

* Billy Strachan * Black Uhuru * Bob Andy *

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

(Afro-Jamaican mother) *

Bounty Killer Rodney Basil Price OD (born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant fl ...

* Brigitte Foster-Hylton *

Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He is one of the most significant and well-re ...

* Bunny Wailer *

Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...

Capleton Clifton George Bailey III (born 13 April 1967),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 67–69 better known by his stage name Capleton, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is also referred to as Kin ...

* Cedella Marley *

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

* Chavany Willis * Chris Gayle * Chronixx *

Claude McKay Festus Claudius "Claude" McKay OJ (September 15, 1890See Wayne F. Cooper, ''Claude McKay, Rebel Sojourner In The Harlem Renaissance'' (New York, Schocken, 1987) p. 377 n. 19. As Cooper's authoritative biography explains, McKay's family predate ...

* Colorado Murray * Cory Burke * Courtney Walsh *

Coxsone Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent ...

* Danny McFarlane * Dean Fraser * Delloreen Ennis-London * Deon Hemmings * DJ Kool Herc * Damion Lowe * Danny Ray * Darren Mattocks * Demar Phillips * Deneisha Blackwood * Dennis Brown * Deshorn Brown * Desmond Dekker * Dever Orgill * Devon Williams * Don Quarrie *

Donovan Ruddock Donovan "Razor" Ruddock (born December 21, 1963) is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, ...

* Dujuan Richards * Elaine Thompson * Emily Maddison * Ferdinand Smith * Freddie McGregor *

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

George Headley George Alphonso Headley Order of Distinction, OD, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (30 May 1909 – 30 November 1983) was a Jamaican cricketer who played 22 Test cricket, Test matches, mostly before World War II. Co ...

* Gregory Isaacs * I Wayne * Inner Circle * Jamoi Topey * Javain Brown * Jimmy Adams *

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

* Joseph Hill * Jourdaine Fletcher * Judith Mowatt * Julian Forte * Julian Marley * Juliet Cuthbert *

Juliet Holness Juliet Holness (née Landell; born July 16, 1971) is a Jamaican politician who is the current List of speakers of the House of Representatives of Jamaica, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member for Saint Andrew East Rural (Jamaica Parl ...

* Junior Morias * Hansle Parchment * Hazel Monteith * Heather Little-White * Herb McKenley * Keithy Simpson * Kemar Lawrence * Kerron Stewart *

Khadija Shaw Khadija Monifa "Bunny" Shaw ( ; born 31 January 1997) is a Jamaican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for FA Women's Super League, Women's Super League club Manchester City W.F. ...

* Khari Stephenson * Kymani Marley * Koffee * Kofi Cockburn * Konya Plummer * Ladale Richie * Lamar Walker *

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, songwriter and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development ...

* Leon Bailey * Louise Bennett * Madge Sinclair * Marcia Griffiths *

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) (commonly known a ...

* Marion Hall *

Melaine Walker Melaine Walker (born 1 March 1983) is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. She was born in Kingston. Walker is the former Olympic 400 m hurdles champion.Lewis, Richard (2009-08-20)For Walker, World record assault next item on the agenda?". ''IAAF' ...

Merlene Ottey Merlene Joyce Ottey (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican-Slovenian former track and field sprint (running), sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978 and continued to do so for 24 years before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 20 ...

* Mike McCallum *

Millie Small Millicent Dolly May Small Order of Distinction, CD (6 October 1947 – 5 May 2020) was a Jamaican singer who is best known for her international hit "My Boy Lollipop" (1964). The song reached number two in both the UK Singles Chart, UK and ...

* Morgan Heritage * Mustard * Queen Nanny * Nester Carter * Nickel Ashmeade * Nkrumah Bonner * Novlene Williams * Onandi Lowe * Owayne Gordon *

P.J. Patterson Percival Noel James Patterson, (born 10 April 1935), popularly known as P.J. Patterson, is a Jamaican people, Jamaican former politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006. He served in office for 14 years, mak ...

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

* Paul Bogle * Paula Llewellyn * Pepa *

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band Bob Marley and the Wa ...

* Peter-Lee Vassell * Portia Simpson-Miller * Rasheed Broadbell * Rasheed Dwyer * Raheem Sterling * Renaldo Cephas *

Ricardo Fuller Ricardo Dwayne Fuller (born 31 October 1979) is a retired Jamaican professional footballer who played as a forward. Fuller started his football career with Jamaican side Tivoli Gardens, before he moved to England with Crystal Palace in Feb ...

* Ricardo Gardner * Ricardo Thomas * Richard King * Rimario Gordon *

Rita Marley Alfarita Constantia "Rita" Marley OJ OD ( Anderson; born 25 July 1946) is a Jamaican reggae singer. She is the widow of reggae musician Bob Marley. Along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, Rita was a member of the reggae vocal group the ...

Robin Fraser Robin Fraser (born December 17, 1966) is an American soccer coach and former player. He is the head coach of Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. He previously served as head coach of Colorado Rapids and Chivas USA and as an assistant for Real ...

* Rojé Stona * Rohan Marley *

Rolando Aarons Rolando Aarons (born 16 November 1995) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a winger. He has had previous spells with Hellas Verona in Italy, Slovan Liberec in the Czech Republic, Scottish club Motherwell, Slovenian side Cel ...

* Romain Virgo * Romario Williams *

Rosemarie Whyte Rosemarie Whyte (born 8 September 1986) is the 2008 Jamaican national 400m champion. She represented Jamaica at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games ...

* Sanya Richards-Ross * Samuel Sharpe * Shabba Ranks * Shaggy * Shamar Nicholson * Sheri-Ann Brooks * Sherone Simpson * Shelly-Ann Fraser *

Shericka Jackson Shericka Jackson (born 16 July 1994) is a Jamaican Sprint (running), sprinter competing in the 60 metres, 60 m, 100 metres, 100 m, 200 metres, 200 m, and 400 metres. In the 100 m, she’s the fifth fastest woman of all time, ...

* Simone Facey * Steven Marley * Theodore Whitmore *

Third World The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...

* Toots Hibbert * Trevor D. Rhone * Trivante Stewart *

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...

* Veronica Campbell *

Vybz Kartel Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976), better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall Toasting (Jamaican music), deejay. Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as Worl' Boss, Teacha and King of Dancehall. As summarized by ''Roll ...

Yohan Blake Yohan Blake (born 26 December 1989) is a Jamaican sprinter specialising in the 100 metres, 100-metre and 200 metres, 200-metre sprint races. He won gold at the 100 m at the 2011 World Athletics Championships as the youngest 100 m world champion ...

Zavon Hines Zavon Albert Hines (born 27 December 1988) is a football coach and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. He is currently assistant coach for the West Ham United F.C. Under-21s and Academy ...

* Ziggy Marley

Notable people with Afro-Jamaican ancestry

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

(Jamaican paternal grandparents) * Adrian Mariappa (Jamaican mother) * Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Jamaican parents) * Al Roker (Jamaican mother) * Aljamain Sterling (Jamaican parents) * Andre Wisdom (Jamaican parents) * Ayesha Curry (Jamaican mother) * Bobby De Cordova-Reid (Jamaican parents) * Bobby Shmurda (Jamaican father) * Brandon Clarke (Jamaican father) *

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

(Jamaican parents) * Carl Lumbly (Jamaican parents) * Capital Steez (Jamaican parents) * Cheyna Matthews (Jamaican father) * Chinyelu Asher (Jamaican father) * Christopher Reid (Jamaican father) *

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

(Jamaican parents of mixed African and Scottish ancestry) * Corbin Bleu (Jamaican father) * Craig Eastmond (Jamaican parents) * Daniel Caesar (Jamaican father) * Danny Gabbidon (Jamaican father) *

Darius Vassell Darius Markus Vassell (born 13 June 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward for Aston Villa, Manchester City, Ankaragücü and Leicester City. Vassell began his career at his home town club Aston Villa in ...

(Jamaican parents) * Deanne Rose (Jamaican parents) * Delroy Lindo (Jamaican parents) * Demarai Gray (Jamaican parents) * Derek Cornelius (Jamaican mother) * Dexter Lembikisa (Jamaican mother) * Dina Asher-Smith (Jamaican parents) * Dorothy Dandridge (Jamaican maternal grandfather) * Dujon Sterling (Jamaican parents) * Dulé Hill (Jamaican parents) * Ella Mai (Jamaican mother) * Errol Spence Jr. (Jamaican father) *

FKA Twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musica ...

(Jamaican father) *

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (né Sinclair; born February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed between 1996 and 2017. He list of undefeated boxing world champions, retired with an undefeated record a ...

(Jamaican grandmother) * Frank Bruno (Jamaican mother) * Gabrielle Thomas (Jamaican father) * Garath McCleary (Jamaican father) *

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...

(Jamaican father) * Gramps Morgan (Jamaican parents) * Heavy D (Jamaican parents) * Ian Wright (Jamaican parents) * Isaac Hayden (Jamaican mother) * Jamal Lowe (Jamaican parents) * Jamelia (Jamaican parents) * Jermaine Beckford (Jamaican father) * Jobi McAnuff (Jamaican father) * Jodie Turner-Smith (Jamaican parents) * Joey Badass (Jamaican father) *

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...

(Jamaican mother) * Justin McMaster (Jamaican parents) * Justine Skye (Jamaican parents) * Kamie Crawford (Jamaican mother) *

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

(Jamaican father) * Kasey Palmer (Jamaican parents) *

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fil ...

(Jamaican mother) * Kevin Lisbie (Jamaican parents) *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

(Jamaican parents) * Lamont Bryan (Jamaican mother) * Lani Guinier (Jamaican father) * Leomie Anderson (Jamaican parents) *

Lennox Lewis Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a British-Canadian boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, ...

(Jamaican parents) * Mark-Anthony Kaye (Jamaican parents) * Mason Greenwood (Jamaican mother) * Melvin Brown (Jamaican paternal grandfather) * Michael Hector (Jamaican father) *

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

(Jamaican father) * Musashi Suzuki (Jamaican father) * Mustard (record producer) (Jamaican parents) * NLE Choppa (Jamaican mother) *

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...

(Jamaican parents) *

Nathaniel Adamolekun Nathaniel Ayodele Oluwademilade Adamolekun (born 28 August 1998) is a former professional association football, footballer. Born in the United States, he has represented Jamaica at youth level. Club career Youth Adamolekun started out with his ...

(Jamaican mother) * Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Jamaican father) *

Ndamukong Suh Ndamukong Ngwa Suh ( , born January 6, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football ...

(Jamaican mother) * Olivia Olson (Jamaican father) * Olufolasade Adamolekun (Jamaican mother) * Patrick Ewing Jr. (Jamaican parents) *

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

(Jamaican parents) *

Pete Wentz Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician who is the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy. Before the band's formation in 2001, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lead si ...

(mixed Jamaican mother) *

Pop Smoke Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 – February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, he rose to fame with the release of his 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party (P ...

(Jamaican mother) * Rachelle Smith (Jamaican parents) * Roy Hibbert (Jamaican father) * Safaree Samuels (Jamaican parents) * Sean Johnson (Jamaican Father) * Sean Kingston (Jamaican parents) * Shane Paul McGhie (Jamaican father) * Shameik Moore (Jamaican parents) * Sheryl Lee Ralph (Jamaican parents) * Simeon Jackson (Jamaican parents) *

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His songs " The Show" and ...

(Jamaican parents) * Sol Campbell (Jamaican parents) * Styles P (Jamaican father) * Tajon Buchanan (Jamaican parents) * Tayvon Gray (Jamaican parents) * The Notorious B.I.G. (Jamaican parents) * Tristan Thompson (Jamaican parents) *

Tyga Micheal Ray StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson

(Jamaican father) *

Tyson Beckford Tyson Beckford (born December 19, 1970) is a Jamaican Americans, Jamaican-American model and actor best known as a Ralph Lauren Polo model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo (American TV network), Bravo program ''Make Me a Superm ...

(Jamaican parents) * Uncle Luke (Jamaican father) * Wes Morgan (Jamaican parents) * Winnie Harlow (Jamaican parents) *

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gai ...

(Jamaican parents) * Yazmeen Jamieson (Jamaican father)

References

{{African diaspora Ethnic groups in Jamaica Society of the Caribbean