Niemelä is a Finnish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Aarne Ilmari Niemelä (1907–1975), Finnish chess player Esu Niemelä (1921–1999), Finnish farmer and politician Artturi Niemelä (1923–2021), Finnish homesteader and politician Virpi Niemelä (1936–2006), Finnish Argentine astronomer Pekka Niemelä (born 1974), Finnish ski jumping coach and former ski jumping Markus Niemelä (born 1984), Finnish race car driver Mikko Niemelä (born 1990), Finnish ice hockey defenceman Joonas Niemelä (born 1997), Finnish ice hockey forward