Papanikolaou or Papanicolaou (Greek: Παπανικολάου) is a Greek patronymic surname, meaning "child of Father Nikolaos", used in Greece and Cyprus.

It may refer to:

• Christos Papanikolaou (born 1941), Greek pole vaulter
• Dimitris Papanikolaou (born 1977), Greek basketball player
• George C. Papanicolaou (born 1943), Greek-American mathematician
• Georgios Papanikolaou (1883–1962), Greek doctor, inventor of the pap smear test
• John Paul Papanicolaou (1949–2010), Greek businessman
• Kostas Papanikolaou, Greek basketball player in the National Basketball Association
• Miltiadis Papanikolaou (born 1947), Professor of History of Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Nikos Papanikolaou (born 1985), Greek basketball player

• Papanicolaou stain, a histological technique
• Papanicolaou test, a gynecological test