Upadhyay is a surname. Notable people who bear the name include:

• Amar Upadhyay (born 1976), Indian model, film and television actor
• Amod Prasad Upadhyay (born 1936), Nepalese social worker and politician
• Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay (1865–1947), writer of Hindi literature
• Brahmabandhav Upadhyay (1861–1907), Bengali Brahmin, nephew of the Indian freedom-fighter Kalicharan Banerjee
• Chabilal Upadhyaya (1882–1980), Nepali Brahmin(Bahun), First President (Selected) of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee
• Chintan Upadhyay (born 1972), Indian artist, accused of a 2015 murder
• Chandrika Prasad Upadhyay (born 1950), Indian politician
• Deendayal Upadhyaya (1916–1968), Indian politician and thinker, co-founder of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh
• Darshan Upadhyaya (born 1994), Canada-born American esports player
• Harilal Upadhyay (1916–1994), Gujarati author
• Hema Upadhyay (1972–2015), Indian artist who lived and worked in Mumbai, India since 1998
• Kedar Nath Upadhyay, Chief Justice of Nepal at Supreme Court
• Kishore Upadhyaya (born 1958), Indian politician
• Krishnakant Upadhyay (born 1986), cricketer from Uttar Pradesh
• Lalit Upadhyay (born 1993), Indian field hockey player, part of Indian national team
• Moxila A. Upadhyaya, Indian-born U.S. Magistrate Judge
• Munishwar Dutt Upadhyay (1898–1983), Indian politician and statesman, leader in the Indian independence movement
• Purushottam Upadhyay (1934–2024), Indian musician, singer and composer
• Ram Kinkar Upadhyay (1924–2002), scholar on Indian scriptures and a recipient of Padma Bhushan
• Ramveer Upadhyay (1957–2022), Minister for Transport of Uttar Pradesh in 1997, Minister for Power, Medical Education (2002–2003), Minister for Power (2007–2012)
• Samrat Upadhyay (born 1964), Nepalese writer who writes in English
• Satish Upadhyay (born 1962), the President of the Delhi Unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Seema Upadhyay (born 1965), Indian politician, belonging to Bahujan Samaj Party
• Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay (1929–2011), Nepalese diplomat and politician
• Shrikrishna Upadhyay (born 1945), Nepalese economist
• Umesh Upadhyay (born 1960), Indian television journalist and media executive
• Ved Prakash Upadhyay (born 1947), Indian Sanskrit and Hinduism scholar, author, lecturer, professor, educationist
• Vikas Upadhyay (born 1975), Indian politician, general secretary for All India Youth Congress