This is a list of Somali aristocratic and court titles that were historically used by the Somali people's various sultanates, kingdoms and empires. Also included are the honorifics reserved for Islamic notables as well as traditional leaders and officials within Somali customary law ( xeer ), in addition to the nobiliary particles set aside for distinguished individuals.
Below is a list of the royal court titles historically retained by the Somali monarchies and aristocracies.
Islamic leaders within Somali society were often drawn from or elevated to the noble ranks. Below is a list of the titles most often used historically by the clergymen (ulama):
| History of Somalia |
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 Somaliaportal |
| History of Djibouti |
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| Prehistory |
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| Republic of Djibouti |
 Africaportal  Historyportal |
| History of Somaliland |
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 Somalilandportal |
Below is a list of the titles traditionally employed by leaders and officials within the Somali customary law or xeer .
| History of Ethiopia |
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Somali, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. The country was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, and according to most scholars, it was the seat of ancient Land of Punt that thrived during bronze age. During the classic era until the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali states and port towns dominated the regional trade, including the Sultanate of Mogadishu and the Ajuran Sultanate, both centered around the port town of Mogadishu. Additionally, the port towns of Barawe and Merca played significant roles in this commercial network which were part of the Azania city states during classic era. Preceding these medieval states were ancient civilisations such as the legendary Macrobian Kingdom, noted by Herodotus for its wealth and wisdom, and the Barbario civilisation, an early pre-Islamic civilisation that helped lay the foundations for the region's prosperous trade routes.
The Majeerteen, alternately known as MohammedHarti, are a Somali sub-clan part of the Harti branch of the Darod clan. Traditionally, they inhabit extensive territories in the Bari, Nugaal, and Mudug regions of Somalia, spanning from Bosaso to Garacad, mainly in Puntland state. Additionally, Majeerteen populations are present in southern towns such as Kismayo.
Mohamoud Ali ShireMBE was a Somali Sultan of the Warsengali Sultanate. He bore the title Sultan of the Warsangali. He was centered at Las Khorey.
Merca is the capital city of the Lower Shebelle province of Somalia, a historic port city in the region. It is located approximately 109 km (68 mi) to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory of the Bimal clan and was the center of the Bimal revolt.
The Hawiye are one of the principal and largest of the Somali clans, tracing their lineage back to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman, also known as Sheikh Hawiye, the eponymous figure of the clan. They are considered the earliest documented clan to have settled in the Somali peninsula, as noted in the 12th century by Al-Idrisi, occupying the regions spanning from Ras Hafun to Merca, which served as their capital. Presently, the Hawiye reside in central and southern Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, the Somali region of Ethiopia, Harar, Oromia, and Afar regions, as well as Kenya. Furthermore, they represent the majority of the population in the capital city of Mogadishu.
The Darod is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries, the Somali hinterlands adjacent to Oromia (Ogaden), and both sides of the Kenya–Somalia border. The Darod clan is the largest Somali clan family in the Horn of Africa.
The history of Somaliland, a country in the eastern Horn of Africa bordered by the Gulf of Aden, and the East African land mass, begins with human habitation tens of thousands of years ago. It includes the civilizations of Punt, the Ottomans, and colonial influences from Europe and the Middle East.
Hobyo, is an ancient port city in Galmudug state in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia.
The Dir is one of the largest and most prominent Somali clans in the Horn of Africa. They are also considered to be the oldest Somali stock to have inhabited the region. Its members inhabit Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, and northeastern Kenya.
The Marehan is a Somali clan, which is part of one of the largest Somali clan families, the Darod.
The Abgaal are a Somali sub-clan of the Hawiye and the even larger Samaale clan. This prominent Somali clan, despite being one of the youngest in Somalia, is one of the most significant in the nation's history and has given rise to many notable figures, including three presidents, including the current one as well as the founding father of the Somali military. Their stronghold is the capital city of Somalia, Mogadishu, where they are known to be the earliest inhabitants and they currently constitute the majority of the population there.
The Sultanate of Hobyo, also known as the Sultanate of Obbia, was a 19th-century Somali Sultanate in present-day northeastern and central Somalia and eastern Ethiopia. It was established in 1878 by Yusuf Ali Kenadid.
The Habr Awal, also contemporarily known as the Habar Awal, Subeer Awal, and alternately known as the Zubeyr Awal is one of the largest subclans of the wider Isaaq clan family, and is further divided into eight sub-clans of whom the two largest and most prominent are the Issa Musa and Sa'ad Musa sub-clans. Its members form a part of the Habar Magadle confederation.
The Dervish War, also called the Anglo-Somali War or the Somaliland Campaign, was a series of military expeditions that took place between 1900 and 1920 in modern-day Somalia. The British were assisted in their offensives by the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy.
The Osman Mahmoud, are a Somali sub-clan part of the Majeerteen Harti branch of the larger Darod clan. The sub-clan has a rich tradition and history which include the sultanates of Majeerteen and Hobyo.
The Majeerteen Sultanate, or Majerteen Kingdom also known as Majeerteenia and/or Migiurtinia, was a Somali kingdom centered in the Horn of Africa. Ruled by Boqor Osman Mahamuud during its golden age, the sultanate controlled the areas which are now called Puntland. The earliest mention of the kingdom is the 16th century. The polity had all of the organs of an integrated modern state and maintained a robust trading network. It also entered into treaties with foreign powers and exerted strong centralized authority on the domestic front.
Osman Mahamuud, also known as Uthman III ibn Mahmud, was a Somali king. He led the Majeerteen Sultanate during the 19th century.
The Makayl-Dheere also known as Makaahiil-Dheere (Makayldheere), is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Makahiil sub-clan of the Gadabuursi Dir clan family.
The Isaaq Sultanate was a Muslim sultanate that ruled parts of the Horn of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The kingdom spanned the territories of the Isaaq clan in modern-day Somaliland and Ethiopia. It was governed by the Rer Guled Eidagale branch of the Garhajis clan and is the pre-colonial predecessor to the Republic of Somaliland.
The Warsangali Sultanate, was a Somali imperial ruling house centered in northeastern and in some parts of southeastern Somalia. It governed an area historically known as Maakhir. The sultanate was ruled in the 19th century by the influential Sultan Mohamoud Ali Shire who assumed control during its most turbulent years. In 1884, the United Kingdom established the protectorate of British Somaliland through various treaties with the northern Somali sultanates. The Warsangali clan constituted 120,000 of British Somaliland's total population at the time, of 640,000 (18.75%).
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