This is a list of Tamils of Sri Lanka by their country of domicile or origin. All communities that speak (or spoke) Tamil and originally came from Sri Lanka are included. Tamils of Sri Lanka today are a trans-national minority and are found across the globe. They are known by many other names, including Ceylonese, Jaffnese, Eelamese and Nagas.
Actors and directors
Richard de Zoysa - stage drama actor and Sinhala film actor brutally killed by Sri Lankan government paramilitary forces during the JVP insurrection; of Tamil and Singhala mixed origin; son of Manorani Sarawanamuttu
Rukmani Devi - popular film actress
Roshan Ranawana (real name Roshan Masilamani) - popular film actor
Chandran Rutnam - film producer / director
Sri Lankan international and first class cricketers, umpires, and administrators
Ignatius Anandappa - late Sri Lankan international cricket umpire
Russel Arnold - former Sri Lankan Test cricketer and international commentator
Roy Dias - former Sri Lankan Test cricketer/vice captain
Kandiah Thirugnansampandapillai Francis - international Test/ODI umpire
S. Illangaratnam - late Sri Lankan cricketer, stalwart of Moratuwa and Bloomfield cricket clubs prior to the Test match era and the coach of Bloomfield C&AC
Pradeep Jayaprakashdaran - Sri Lankan One Day International (ODI) cricket player
Sridharan Jeganathan - late NCC and Sri Lankan Test cricketer/off spin bowler
Vinothen John - former NCC and Sri Lankan Test cricketer/opening fast medium bowler
Angelo Mathews - Sri Lankan all rounder and the current captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team
Muttiah Muralitharan - former Sri Lankan off-spinner who has the record for most number of wickets in Test cricket
Selliah Ponnadurai - late international cricket umpire
Ravindra Pushpakumara - Karupiah Raveendra Pushpakumara, born to a Tamil father and Singhala mother
Ravi Ratnayeke (Joseph Raveendran Ratnayeke) - former Sri Lankan vice captain; Tamil-Singhala mixed
Mahadevan Sathasivam - cricket batsman
Mario Villavarayan - former NCC and first class cricketer
Other athletes and sports people
Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam - high jumper; v Olympic Games and Asian Games; winner of Ceylon's first gold medal in international track and field competition (high jump, 1958 Asian Games)
Suresh Joachim - Suresh Joachim Arulanantham is a Tamil Canadian film actor, producer, and multiple-Guinness World Record holder who has broken more than 60 world records[1] set in several countries in attempts to benefit underprivileged children around the world.
Authors, writers, poets and artists
V. Akilesapillai - author, scholar, poet and Hindu activist
Ananda Coomaraswamy - Orientalist, author, philosopher and metaphysician
Dominic Jeeva - author and social activist
S. Kanapathipillai - scholar
Muttukumara Kavirajar - poet and Hindu activist
Kumaraswamy Pulavar - scholar, poet and Hindu activist
D. Raja Segar - painter and sculptor
C. W. Thamotharampillai - editor and publisher of classical Tamil poetry and grammar; the oldest extant written work in Tamil, Tolkapiyam - Porulathikaram, was discovered and published by him with a commentary
Ken Balendra - Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive; holds and has held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region
Chandran Rutnam - filmmaker and owner of Lionair
Yogendra Duraiswamy - first batch of Ceylon Overseas Service, 1949
Tamara Kunanayakam - Sri Lankan Ambassador to Cuba (2008-2009); Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva
Arumaipperumal - Batticaloa chieftain who led a rebellion against the British colonial occupiers in 1803
Cankili I (Sankili Segarajasekaran) - a prominent king of the Jaffna Kingdom
Cankili II - last king of the Jaffna kingdom
Pandara Vannian (Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Pandaravanniyan) - Vanni chieftain who challenged British rule
Sena and Guttika - Tamil horse merchants who ascended the throne in Anuradhapura, 237-215 BC
Ellalan Elara - ruled Anuradhapura from 205 BC to 161 BC; considered a most impartial and just monarch
Pulahatta - Tamil king, ruled from Anuradhapura 103 -100 BC
Bahiya - Tamil king, ruled from Anuradhapura 100-98 BC
Panya Mara - Tamil king, ruled from Anuradhapura 98-91 BC
Pilaya Mara - Tamil King, ruled from Anuradapura 91-90 BC
Dathiya - Tamil King of Anuradhapura 447-450 AD
Pandu - Tamil king from 436-441 BC
Parindu - son of Pandu, ruled for one year, 441 BC
Khudda Parinda - brother of Pandu, ruled 441-447 BC
Tiritara - 447 BC
Dathiya - 447-450 BC
Pithiya - 450-452
Chempaha Perumal - a Jaffna Tamil who ascended the Sinhala throne as King Bhuvanekabahu VI of Kotte
Velupillai Prabhakaran - Leader of the LTTE, President of the de facto state of Tamil Eelam till 2009.
Journalists and broadcasters
S. P. Mylvaganam - first Tamil announcer of the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon
A. Nadesan - murdered Virakesari newspaper journalist
M. Nimalrajan - murdered journalist, BBC reporter
K. S. Raja - Radio Ceylon announcer
Claude Selveratnam - Radio Ceylon announcer
Kailayar Sellanainar Sivakumaran - broadcaster and Journalist in English and Tamil
Taraki Sivaram - journalist, military analyst editor of TamilNet news website, author of books
J. S. Tissainayagam - journalist and first winner of the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism
Lawyers and judges
V. Casipillai - Crown Proctor, President of the Jaffna Hindu Board, co-founder of Jaffna Hindu College, founder of Parvathy Maha Vidyalayam and other educational institutions
Hon. Justice V. Manicavasagar - Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Chancellor of the University of Jaffna and Chairman of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon
S. Selliah - Justice of the Court of Appeal, Judge of the High Court, Magistrate
S. Sharvananda - Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and Governor of the Western Province
K. Sripavan - 44th Chief justice, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
H. D. Thambiah - Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice of the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice of Sri Lanka
H. W. Thambiah - Justice of the Supreme Court
Militants and rebels
Charles Lucas Anthony (Seelan) - senior Tamil Tiger commander
V. Baheerathakumar (Colonel Theepan) - senior Tamil Tiger commander, de facto military leader
V. Balakumaran - former leader of Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students, later joined the Tamil Tigers
Anton Balasingham - chief political strategist and chief negotiator for the Tamil Tigers
S. Chandrakanthan (Pillayan) - Tamil Tiger member, defected to the Sri Lankan Government; Chief Minister of the Eastern Province
Douglas Devananda - Tiger deserter; former militant turned politician; founder and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party political party and a pro-government paramilitary organization; Government Minister and Member of Parliament
B. Kandiah (Brigadier Balraj) - senior Tamil Tiger commander
S. Krishnakumar (Colonel Kittu) - senior Tamil Tiger commander
G. Mahendraraja (Mahattaya) - Deputy Leader of the Tamil Tigers and head of the People's Front of Liberation Tigers
V. Muralitharan (Colonel Karuna Amman) - senior Tamil Tiger commander, defected to the Sri Lankan Government; Government Minister and appointed Member of Parliament
B. Nadesan - Tamil Tiger political leader
A. Neminathan (Colonel Raju) - senior Tamil Tiger commander
R. Parthipan (Lt. Colonel Thileepan) - Tamil Tiger political wing member who died during a hunger strike
S. Pathmanathan (KP) - senior Tamil Tiger member; now collaborating with the Sri Lankan government
Velupillai Prabhakaran (Karikalan) - founder of Tamil Tiger
Arul Pragasam - founder and leader of Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students
Thenmozhi Rajaratnam – assassin who killed Rajiv Gandhi
E. Ratnasabapathy - founder member of Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students
S. Ravishankar (Colonel Charles) - Tamil Tiger military intelligence wing leader
Sri Sabaratnam - leader of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
T. Sivanesan (Colonel Soosai) - Tamil Tiger Sea Wing leader
P. Sivaparan (Nediyawan) - senior Tamil Tiger member
S. Sivashankar (Pottu Amman) - Tamil Tigers Intelligence Wing leader, was number 2 in the organisation
V. Sornalingam (Colonel Shankar) - founder of Sea Tigers and Air Tigers wing of the Tamil Tigers
S. P. Thamilselvan - Tamil Tiger political leader
N. Thangathurai - co-founder and leader of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
K. Ulaganathan (Colonel Ramanan) - senior Tamil Tiger commander
V. Vasanthan (Captain Miller) - first Black Tiger
S. Yogachandran (Kuttimani) - co-founder and leader of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
Air Vice Marshal P.B. Premachandra - former Air Vice Marshal, Sri Lanka Air Force
Air Vice Marshal Ravi Arunthavanathan - former Deputy Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Air Force and current Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence
Major General Y. Balaretnarajah, Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya, Uttama Seva Padakkama, National Defence College, India, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps - Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Army (1992-1992)
Rear Admiral Rajan Kadiragamar, Royal Victorian Order, Royal Ceylon Navy - former Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy
Air Vice Marshal A. Kumaresan, Rana Sura Padakkama, Uttama Seva Padakkama, Psc (British Army), Sri Lanka Air Force - current Director of Planning, Sri Lanka Air Force
Major General Anton Muttukumaru, OBE, Efficiency Decoration; Aide-de-camp, Ceylon Light Infantry; first Ceylonese Commander of the Sri Lanka Army
Major General E. G. Thevanayagam, Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya - Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (1984–1986)
Major General Chelliah Thurairaja, Uttama Seva Padakkama, Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps - former Director Army Medical Services and Colonel Commandant Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps
Selvam Adaikalanathan - President of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization and Member of Parliament
A. Amirthalingam - leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front, Leader of the Opposition and Member of Parliament
V. Anandasangaree - leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front and Member of Parliament
Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam CCS – pre-independence politician and civil servant; Registrar General; member of Executive Council of Ceylon; member of Legislative Council of Ceylon
A. Canagaratnam - member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon, Chairman of the first Urban Council of Jaffna; founder of Canagaratnam Maha Vidyalayam (formerly Stanley College) in Jaffna
S. J. V. Chelvanayakam – political leader of the Sri Lankan Tamil people; founder and leader of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party); leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front; Member of Parliament
A. Coomaraswamy – member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy – member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon; first Asian to be knighted; father of author Ananda Coomaraswamy
Douglas Devananda - Militant turned politician; founder and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party paramilitary group; Government Minister and Member of Parliament
K. W. Devanayagam - former minister, Member of Parliament, lawyer who represented Kalkudah seat
Waithilingam Duraiswamy - pre-independence Sri Lankan lawyer, politician and speaker of the State Council of Ceylon
Alfred Duraiappah - Member of Parliament from 1960 to 1964; Mayor of Jaffna
Jeyaraj Fernandopulle - slain SLFP politician, a Negombo chetty
Mano Ganesan - leader of the Democratic People's Front political party; Member of Parliament; member of Western Provincial Council
Praba Ganeshan - MP
Lakshman Kadirgamar – Minister of Foreign Affairs; nominated Member of Parliament
N. Kumaraguruparan - General Secretary of Democratic People's Front political party; General Secretary and Senior Vice President of All Ceylon Tamil Congress; member of the Colombo Municipal Council; member of Western Provincial Council
Sir Arunachalam Mahadeva - Minister of Home Affairs; member of the State Council of Ceylon; member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
S. Nadesan - member of the State Council of Ceylon, Member of Parliament, Senator
Joseph Pararajasingham - Member of Parliament
C. Ponnambalam - first Mayor of Jaffna
G. G. Ponnambalam – political leader of the Sri Lankan Tamil people; founder and leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress; government minister and Member of Parliament
Kumar Ponnambalam - Nationalist politician and human rights activist; leader of All Ceylon Tamil Congress; presidential candidate
Suresh Premachandran - leader of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front and Member of Parliament
Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan – pre-independence politician and political leader of the Sri Lankan Tamil people; Solicitor General of Ceylon; member of Legislative Council of Ceylon
N. Raviraj - Member of Parliament
James T. Rutnam - historian, educationalist, author and politician
A. Sabapathy - member of Legislative Council of Ceylon; one of the founders of Jaffna Hindu College; editor of Hindu Organ; President of Jaffna Association
T. M. Sabaratnam - member of Legislative Council of Ceylon; President of the Vattrapalai Kannagi Amman Kovil Trust
R. Sampanthan - Leader of Tamil National Alliance political party; Member of Parliament
S. Sellamuttu, OBE - Colombo mayor, 1951
N. Shanmugathasan - General Secretary of the Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist)
C. Sittampalam - Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in the first Cabinet of independent Ceylon; Member of Parliament
S. Sivamaharajah - Member of Parliament; managing director of Namathu Eelanadu
M. Sivasithamparam - Deputy Speaker of the Parliament
C. Suntharalingam - Government Minister and Member of Parliament
Bala Tampoe - veteran trade unionist; General Secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile, Industrial and General Workers Union
Arumugam Thondaman - leader of the CWC
S. Thondaman - Leader of the Ceylon Workers' Congress, Government Minister, Member of Parliament
Murugeysen Tiruchelvam - Government Minister and Senator
Neelan Tiruchelvam – Member of Parliament
Sir Kanthiah Vaithianathan KBE CCS - Minister for Housing, Industry and Social Service; first Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence (1947–1952); Senator
A. Vinayagamoorthy - President of All Ceylon Tamil Congress and Member of Parliament
Sarojini Yogeswaran - Mayor of Jaffna
V. Yogeswaran - co-leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front and Member of Parliament
Arumuka Navalar - Hindu reformer and author of books from Jaffna
Swami Vipulananda - Hindu reformer and author of books
Yogaswami - Hindu ascetic from Jaffna
Christie Jayaratnam Eliezer - Professor of Mathematics in University of Ceylon, University of Malaya and La Trobe University in Australia; recipient of Order of Australia
Jitto Arulampalam - Chairman of Progen Pharmaceuticals Limited and Euro Petroleum Limited; Australian Financial Review MIS Magazine 2006 recognized him as one of the "top 25 global rising stars"
Maha Sinnathamby - property developer; the man behind Australia's largest real estate project; frequently listed in BRW's annual list of the 200 richest Australians
Kamahl (Kandiah Kamalesvaran) - singer
Elagu V. Elaguppillai - academic, researcher, entrepreneur and politician
Alfred Jeyaratnam Wilson - peacemaker, politician and author of books on Sri Lanka
Actors and directors
Rohan Fernando - filmmaker born in Jaffna
Lenin M. Sivam – film director; directed the critically acclaimed film 1999
Athletes and sports people
Trevin Bastiampillai - Canadian cricketer
Manoj David - Canadian cricketer
Arvind Kandappah - Canadian cricketer
Sanjayan Thuraisingam - Canadian cricketer
Authors, writers, poets and musicians
Shyam Selvadurai - author of Funny Boy and Cinnamon Gardens
Journalists and broadcasters
D. B. S. Jeyaraj - freelance journalist
Gary Anandasangaree - MP
Logan Kanapathi - Markham City Councillor, first Tamil Canadian elected to political office (2006)
Neethan Shan - Toronto City Councillor
Rathika Sitsabaiesan - Canadian politician from Toronto; the New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge River; the first Tamil elected to the Canadian Parliament
Actors and directors
Chandrababu - actor, comedian, singer
Poongkothai Chandrahasan - actress and Harvard-trained filmmaker
Suresh Joachim - actor, producer, singer
Balu Mahendra – prominent Kollywood film director.
M. G. Ramachandran - actor, director, producer and politician.
Authors, writers, poets and artists
V. Kanakasabhai - lawyer, historian and Dravidologist of Sri Lankan Tamil descent
E. M. V. Naganathan - one of the founders of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party); Member of Parliament
Shan Ratnam - professor and researcher
Athletes and sports people
Punch Gunalan - former national badminton player and IBF Executive Deputy President
Mahadevan Sathasivam - former captain of the Malaysian cricket team
Authors, writers, poets and artists
Rani Manicka - writer
Manicasothy Saravanamuttu - editor of The Straits Echo in Malaya (1931–1941); credited with 'saving' Penang during Japanese invasion in 1941; author of The Sara Saga
Vijay Eswaran - Group MD; CEO of the QI Group of companies
Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam - Executive chairman of Westport; ranked 29th in the 2007 Forbes Asia List of the 40 Richest Malaysians
Ananda Krishnan – Malaysia's richest man and 62nd Richest Man in the world according to the 2009 Forbes Billionaire List
Bastianpillai Paul Nicholas - the first non-British businessman who endeavoured to become one of the top bankers in the then Malaya
Tan Sri Dr Ramon Navaratnam - Malaysian economist
Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan - former politician
Sivarasa Rasiah - human rights lawyer and vice-president of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People's Justice Party)
D. R. Seenivasagam - founder of People's Progressive Party in Malaysia
Datuk Dr S Vijayaratnam - former Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Vice-President
Philip Jeyaretnam – Professor of Law; member of Public Service Commission
Shan Ratnam - former Head of Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the National University of Singapore
Authors, writers, poets and artists
Edwin Thumboo – poet
Sharmila Melissa Yogalingam - award-nominated writer
K. S. Rajah - former Supreme Court Judge
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam – former Solicitor General and perennial opposition politician of the Workers' Party of Singapore
Sinnathamby Rajaratnam – politician, deputy prime minister, one of the founding fathers of Singapore
Tharman Shanmugaratnam - politician and deputy prime minister
Ganesh Sittampalam - Guinness World Record holder as the youngest person in the UK to pass an A-Level in 1988, aged only nine years and four months old at the time
S. J. Emmanuel - priest, academic, and activist; President of the Global Tamil Forum; Vicar General of the Jaffna Diocese
Athletes and sports people
Dimitri Mascarenhas - international cricketer, plays for England; born to Sri Lankan Bharatakula Tamil parents in the UK, brought up in Australia and the UK
Murugan Thiruchelvam - British child prodigy chess player
Musicians and singers
Arjun
(M.I.A.) (Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam) - British rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer
Journalists and broadcasters
George Alagiah - BBC reporter and journalist
James Coomarasamy - BBC reporter and journalist
Darshini David - BBC reporter and journalist
Tim Kash - MTV and BBC reporter and journalist
Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah - retired Harvard University professor of anthropology and author of several books
Kavichandran Alexander (Kavi Alexander) - owner of US record label Water Lily Acoustics; engineer; won 1993 Grammy Award for Ry Cooder's album A Meeting by the River
Sanjay Kumar – former Chief Executive of Computer Associates
Kumar Mahadeva – former Chief Executive of Cognizant Technology Solutions
Raj Rajaratnam – hedge fund manager and the founder and Managing General Partner of The Galleon Group; on Forbes' Richest Americans List
Musicians and singers
Clarence Jey – songwriter and composer for US Late Night host Jimmy Fallon's 2013 Grammy-winning record Blow Your Pants Off; songwriter and producer for Emmy-winning US TV animation series Growing Up Creepie; producer and songwriter for Rebecca Black's viral hit song "Friday"
V. Rudrakumaran - Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam
List of Sri Lankan Tamils Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
