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

It may refer to:

People 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 (basketball) (born 1985), Greek basketball player

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