This is a list of Nicaraguans and people of Nicaraguan ethnicity:

• Omar D'León (1928–2022), painter and poet.
• Franck de Las Mercedes (born 1972), painter.
• Armando Morales (1927–2011), painter.
• Hugo Palma-Ibarra (born 1942), painter.
• Róger Pérez de la Rocha (born 1949), painter.
• Julia Casimira Sacasa, (born 1972), abstract painter, sculptor, poet. CASIMIRA

• Harry Brautigam (1948–2008), economist, banker and academic.
• José Cardenal (born 1940), businessman.
• Michael Cordúa (born 1961), restaurateur, entrepreneur, businessman, award-winning self-taught chef.
• Carlos Reynaldo Lacayo (born 1950), businessman.
• Alejandro Lacayo (born 1951), businessman.
• Carlos Pellas Chamorro (born 1953), businessman, entrepreneur, Nicaragua's first billionaire.^[1]
• Alfonso Robelo (born 1939), businessman, politician, diplomat who served as ambassador to Costa Rica.
• Patrick Frawley (1923-1998) magnate (Paper Mate)

• Elena Arellano Chamorro (1836–1911), reform pedagogue, a pioneer for education of women.
• Josefa Toledo de Aguerri (1866–1962), reform pedagogue, general director of education in the 1920s.

• Xiomara Blandino (born 1984), Miss Nicaragua 2007, model.
• Nastassja Bolívar, Nuestra Belleza Latina 2011 – Miss Nicaragua 2013 – and Top 16 in Miss Universe 2013 -The Best National Costume.
• Iva Grijalva Pashova (born 1986), Miss Earth Nicaragua 2007.
• Beatriz Obregon Lacayo, Miss Nicaragua 1977
• Thelma Rodríguez (born 1989), Miss Nicaragua 2008.
• Sheynnis Palacios (born 2000), Miss Nicaragua 2023, Miss Universe 2023.

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• Lila T. Abaunza (1929–2008), First Lady of Nicaragua from 2002 to 2007.
• Fernando Agüero (born 1920), politician.
• Arnoldo Alemán (born 1946), former president of Nicaragua from 1997 to 2002.
• Leonardo Argüello Barreto (1895–1947), President of Nicaragua (1947).
• Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann (born 1933), former Foreign Minister of Nicaragua (1979–1990), President of the 63rd UN General Assembly (2008–2009) and leading liberation theologian.
• Juan Bautista Sacasa (1874–1946), President of Nicaragua from 1933 to 1936.
• Claudia Bermúdez (born 1954), Nicaragua-American politician and entrepreneur; first Nicaraguan American to be the nominee of a major party for a seat in the United States Congress.
• Enrique Bolaños (1928–2021), President of Nicaragua from 2002 to 2007.
• Róger Calero (born 1969), Nicaraguan American who ran for U.S. President in the 2004 elections.
• Adolfo Calero (1931–2012), leader of the Contra-Revolutionary Movement.
• Emiliano Chamorro (1871–1966), President of Nicaragua from 1917 to 1920 and part of 1926.
• Fruto Chamorro (1804–1855), first president of Nicaragua 1854–1855.
• Manuel Coronel Kautz, vice minister of foreign relations.
• Arturo Cruz (born 1923), politician and diplomat.
• Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro (1875–1879), President of Nicaragua from 1875 to 1879.
• Violeta Chamorro (born 1929), first female president in Latin America, second in North America and 48th President of Nicaragua.
• Adolfo Díaz (1875–1964), President of Nicaragua in 1911–1917 and 1926–1929.
• George William Albert Hendy (1879–1888), Hereditary Chief of Miskito Nation.
• Edmundo Jarquín (born 1946), politician, candidate for president of Nicaragua in 2006.
• Máximo Jerez (1818–1881), politician, lawyer, and military leader in 19th century Nicaragua.
• Herty Lewites (1939–2006), politician.
• Angel Bravo Lorio, politician, Communist Party of Nicaragua
• Eduardo Montealegre (1955), politician, businessman.
• Oldman (died 1687), King of the Miskito Nation from 1625 to 1687.
• Daniel Ortega (born 1945), current President of Nicaragua, leader of the FSLN.
• Edén Pastora (1937–2020), politician.
• Mariano Prado (1776–1837), lawyer and a four-time, liberal chief of state of El Salvador.
• Sergio Ramírez (born 1943), Vice President of Nicaragua during the Junta, writer, intellectual.
• Jorge Salazar Argüello (1939–1980), Nicaraguan coffee grower and popular leader of UPANIC (Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua – Unión de Productores Agropecuarios de Nicaragua), seemed poised to become the leader of the opposition to the Sandinista government, until his death at the hands of State Security forces.
• José Santos Zelaya (1853–1919), president of Nicaragua from 1893 to 1909.
• Guillermo Sevilla-Sacasa (1908–1997), Ambassador of Nicaragua to the United States (1943–1979), Dean of the Diplomatic Corps (1958–1979), Washington, DC
• Hilda Solis (born 1957), U.S. congresswoman.
• Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956), 34th and 39th President of Nicaragua
• Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1925–1980), 44th and 45th President of Nicaragua from 1967 to 1972 and from 1974 to 1979.
• Luis Somoza Debayle (1922–1967), 40th President of Nicaragua from 1956 to 1963.
• Jose Santos Zelaya (1853–1919), president.

• Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal (1924–1978), editor of La Prensa daily newspaper, assassinated.
• Xavier Chamorro Cardenal (1932–2008), co-founder, director and editor of El Nuevo Diario.
• Enrique Gottel (1831–1875), journalist, music composer, and historian.
• Mari Ramos, weather anchor for CNN.

• Claribel Alegría (1924–2018), poet, she received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2006.
• Emilio Álvarez Lejarza (1884–1969), writer.
• Emilio Álvarez Montalván (1919–2014), political writer.
• Eugenio Batres Garcia (born 1941) noted newscaster and journalist, writer, author and poet.
• Gioconda Belli (born 1948), poet and writer.
• Yolanda Blanco (born 1954), poet and translator.
• Tomás Borge (1930–2012), writer, poet, politician and essayist.
• Omar Cabezas (born 1950), writer.
• Ernesto Cardenal (1925–2020), poet.
• Blanca Castellón (born 1958), poet.
• José Coronel Urtecho (1906–1994), poet, translator, essayist, critic, narrator, playwright and historian.
• Alfonso Cortés (1893–1969), poet.
• Arturo Cruz (born 1954), writer.
• Pablo Antonio Cuadra (1912–2002), poet.
• Rubén Darío (1867–1916), poet, referred to as The Father of Modernism.
• Karly Gaitán Morales (born 1980) film historian, writer, journalist.
• Salomón Ibarra Mayorga (1887–1985), poet and lyricist of "Salve a ti, Nicaragua", the Nicaraguan national anthem.
• Erwin Krüger (1915–1973), poet and composer.
• Rigoberto López Pérez (1929–1936), poet and writer.
• Francisco Mayorga (born 1949), writer.
• Christianne Meneses Jacobs (born 1971), writer, editor, and publisher.
• Rosario Murillo (born 1951), poet.
• Azarías H. Pallais (1884–1954), poet.
• Joaquín Pasos (1914–1947), poet.
• Horacio Peña (born 1946), writer and poet.
• Sergio Ramírez (born 1942), writer.
• Aura Rostand (1899–1957), poet.
• Mariana Sansón Argüello (1918–2002), poet.
• Arlen Siu (1955–1972), essayist.
• Julio Valle Castillo (born 1952), poet, novelist, essayist, and a critic of literature and art.
• Daisy Zamora (born 1950), poet.

• Enrique Bermúdez (1932–1991), military and political leader of the Nicaraguan Contras from 1979 to 1991.
• Fernando Chamorro Alfaro (1824–1863), general and member of the governing junta of Nicaragua (1860–1863).
• Aminta Granera (born 1952), police chief of Nicaragua.
• Aristides Sánchez (died 1993), key figure among the Contras.
• Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero (born 1951), former commander of the National Guard.

• Maurice Benard (born 1963), actor on American soap operas All My Children and General Hospital
• Barbara Carrera (born 1945), film, TV actress, former model.
• Oswaldo Castillo, actor, most notable role includes the one in The Hammer.
• Edward'O, notable astroanalyst and co-host of Telemundo's dating show, 12 Corazones.
• Gabriel Traversari (born 1963), actor, director, writer, singer, songwriter and painter.
• Gabriela Revilla, writer, producer, director ^[2]

• José Areas (born 1946), percussionist, former drummer for Santana.
• Lya Barrioz, singer and actress.
• Katia Cardenal (born 1963), singer-songwriter from Duo Guardabarranco.
• Dimension Costeña, musicians.
• Erwin Krüger (1915–1973), singer and Nicaraguan folklore poet.
• Luis Enrique Mejía López (born 1962), salsa singer and music composer.
• Carlos Mejía Godoy (born 1943), musician, composer, singer.
• Alfonso Noel Lovo (born 1951), composer and guitarist.
• Tony Melendez (born 1962), guitar player, singer and Christian rock songwriter who was born without arms.
• Maria Mena, Norwegian/Nicaraguan pop singer.
• Otto Benjamín de la Rocha López (born 1933), singer, songwriter and radio actor.
• T-Bone (born 1973), rapper.
• Torombolo (born 1985), reggaeton and hip hop singer.
• Mario Sacasa, singer, songwriter, guitarist
• J Smooth, bilingual hip hop and Reggaeton singer.
• Donald Vega (born 1974), jazz musician and composer.
• Hernaldo Zúñiga (born 1955), singer and music composer.

• Reinaldo Aguado Montealegre (born 1960), President of the International Society for Human Rights in Nicaragua.
• Aubry Campbell Ingram (1903–2000), baseball player who helped found the Asociación de Scouts de Nicaragua.
• Myrna Cunningham, Miskita indigenous rights activist and physician.
• Joseph A. Harrison (1883–1964), Moravian Pastor who helped start the first scout troop in Nicaragua.
• Bianca Jagger (born 1945), social and political activist, former wife of Mick Jagger.
• Mario Sacasa, Director, Future of Nicaragua Foundation, Fundación Futuro de Nicaragua

• Reyna I. Aburto (born 1963), religious leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Leopoldo Brenes (born 1949), Archbishop of Managua, cardinal.
• Ernesto Cardenal (born 1925), Catholic priest and liberation theologian.
• Fernando Cardenal (born 1934), Jesuit priest, director at the Fe y Alegría organization in Managua.
• Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann (1933–2017), Roman Catholic priest, former foreign minister of Nicaragua, received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1985.
• Uriel Molina Oliú (born 1932), Franciscan priest.
• Pablo Antonio Vega Mantilla (1919–2007), Roman Catholic bishop and bishop Emeritus.
• Maria Romero Meneses (1902–1977), Salesian nun, beatified in 2002.
• Miguel Obando y Bravo (born 1926), archbishop emeritus of Managua, cardinal.
• Jesus Rojas (1950–1991), Jesuit priest.

• Patrick Argüello (1943–1970), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
• Nora Astorga (1948–1988), Sandinista revolutionary, lawyer, politician, judge and Nicaraguan ambassador to the UN.
• Antonio Cardenal Caldera (1951–1991), also known as Jesus Rojas, major leader of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front.
• Arturo Cruz, Jr. (born 1954), revolutionary, writer, professor and diplomat.
• Rigoberto Cruz (died 1967), one of the founders of the FSLN.
• Ajax Delgado (1941–1960), student activist of the Sandinista revolution.
• José Dolores Estrada (1792–1869), famed for his part in the battle Hacienda San Jacinto in 1856.
• Idania Fernandez (1952–1979), Sandinista revolutionary.
• Carlos Fonseca (1936–1976), teacher, founder of FSLN.
• Maximo Jerez (1818–1876), lawyer, politician, general, president.
• Augusto César Sandino (1895–1934), revolutionary, symbol of the FSLN.
• Arlen Siu (1955–1972), Sandinista revolutionary.
• Dora María Téllez (born 1947), Sandinista revolutionary, founded the MRS, historian.

• Clodomiro Picado Twight (1887–1944), Pasteur Institute, biologists whose work on molds was a precursor to the formal discovery of penicillin.