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.
- Professor, Vice Chancellor of University of Peradeniya, Civil Engineer (Akbar Bridge in University of Peradeniya was constructed by him) , Founder of ( About Soil) (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Thurairajah)
Ratnajeevan Hoole - Professor of Electrical Engineering; appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna but never took up post due to threats
T. Nadaraja - Chancellor of the University of Jaffna; Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ceylon
S. Raveendranath - Vice-Chancellor of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka
K. Sivathamby - emeritus professor of University of Jaffna; prominent Tamil scholar, sociologist and author of books
X. Thaninayagam - scholar, author and historian
Valentine Joseph - was a Sri Lankan Tamil mathematician, noted for his contributions to education
Rajini Thiranagama - murdered human rights activist and author of books; head of the Department of Anatomy, University of Jaffna; member of University Teachers for Human Rights assassinated by Tamil Tigers.
T. Varagunam - Chancellor of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka
Activists[]
Fr. Mary Bastian - Roman Catholic parish priest and human rights activist
Kethesh Loganathan - Deputy Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat of the Government of Sri Lanka; assassinated
Rajini Thiranagama - murdered human rights activist and author of books; head of the Department of Anatomy, University of Jaffna; member of University Teachers for Human Rights
Sabby Jey- New Zealand, Sri Lankan Tamil actress and model.
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
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
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)
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
Business people[]
Ken Balendra - Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive; holds and has held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region
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
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 (Balraj) - senior Tamil Tiger commander
S. Krishnakumar (Kittu) - senior Tamil Tiger commander
V. Muralitharan (Karuna Amman) - senior Tamil Tiger commander, defected to the Sri Lankan Government; Government Minister and appointed Member of Parliament
Air Vice Marshal P.B. Premachandra - former Chief of Staff, 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
Vice Admiral Travis Sinniah, Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya, Rana Wickrama Padakkama, Rana Sura Padakkama, Uttama Seva Padakkama, ndu - 21st Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, veteran of attack flotilla
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
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[1]
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
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
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
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
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
Christie Jayaratnam Eliezer - Professor of Mathematics in University of Ceylon, University of Malaya and La Trobe University in Australia; recipient of Order of Australia
Business people[]
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"[7]
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
Rathika Sitsabaiesan - former Canadian politician from Toronto; the New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge River; the first Tamil elected to the Canadian Parliament
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
Business people[]
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
Datuk Dr S Vijayaratnam - former Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Vice-President
Singapore[]
Academics[]
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
Civil servants[]
K. S. Rajah - former Supreme Court Judge
Politicians[]
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
United Kingdom[]
Academics[]
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
Sabaratnam Arulkumaran - is a Sri Lankan Tamil physician, former president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, and president-elect of the British Medical Association.
Maheshi N. Ramasamy - is a British-Sri Lankan physician and lecturer. She is currently working as one of the chief investigators at the Oxford Vaccine Group.
Amara Karan, British actress, whose parents moved to the UK from Zambia for work.
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
Comedians[]
Romesh Ranganathan - British comedian and actor from Crawley
Musicians and singers[]
Arjun - recording artist, born to a Tamil father
M.I.A. (Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam) - British rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer
Siva Kaneswaran - member of the English-Irish boy band The Wanted, born to a Tamil father
Thangam Debbonaire - Labour Party MP, born to a mixed Indian-Sri Lankan Tamil father
Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Governor of Anguilla
United States[]
Academics[]
Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah - retired Harvard University professor of anthropology and author of several books
Business people[]
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"
Politicians[]
V. Rudrakumaran - Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam
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