Dessauer is a German surname meaning "from Dessau". Notable people with the surname include:
- Alois Dessauer (born Aron Baruch Dessauer; 1763–1850), German banker, manufacturer
- Ferdinand Dessauer (also Dessoir, 1836–1892), German actor (son of Leopold)
- Friedrich Dessauer (1881–1963), biophysician, philosopher (brother of Hans)
- Gabriel Dessauer (born 1955), German cantor, concert organist and academic (son of Guido)
- Guido Dessauer (1915–2012), German coloured paper manufacturer, art collector and academic (son of Hans)
- Hans Dessauer (1869–1926), German coloured paper manufacturer and politician (son of Philipp)
- Herbert C. Dessauer (1921–2013), American biochemist
- John H. Dessauer (1905–1993), German born American chemical engineer (son of Hans)
- Josef Dessauer (1798–1876), Bohemian-German composer
- Julius Dessauer (1832–1883), Hungarian rabbi and writer
- Leopold Dessauer, (1810–1874), Polish-German actor, known during his stage career as "Ludwig Dessoir"
- Philipp Dessauer, (1837–1900), German industrialist (father of Hans)
- Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1676–1747), known by the nickname "the old Dessauer"