Shankar is a common first name in India.

Shankar may refer to:

• Shiva, Hindu god who is referred to by many names
• Adi Shankara, Hindu philosopher of around the ninth century
• Auto Shankar, a serial killer
• A family of Indian musicians of whom the most well known are Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar
• Kiruba Shankar, an Indian blogger
• K. Shankar Pillai (1902–1989), Indian cartoonist. Founder of Shankar's Weekly and the International Dolls Museum, New Delhi.
• L. Shankar, Indian violinist (brother of L. Subramaniam, no relation to Ravi Shankar)
• Mani Shankar Mukherjee, Bengali writer popularly known as Shankar
• Ravi Shankar, poet and faculty member of Central Connecticut State University
• S. Shankar, director of Tamil films
• Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, guru and founder of the Art of Living movement