Nishanian () is an Armenian surname. In diaspora the surname may be variously transliterated as Nichanian, Nişanyan, Nishanyan, etc. Notable people with the surname include:
Mesrob Nishanian of Jerusalem (1872–1944), Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem , (born 1970), French historian Sevan Nişanyan, Turkish-Armenian writer and lexicographer Véronique Nichanian, French fashion designer