Buchanan is a surname of Scottish origin (see Clan Buchanan). People with this surname include:

Academia and science

• Alick Buchanan-Smith, Baron Balerno (1898–1984), British academic, soldier and politician
• Allen Buchanan (born 1948), American political scientist and academic
• Andrew Buchanan (surgeon) (1798–1882), Scottish surgeon and academic
• Bill Buchanan (computer scientist) (born 1961), Scottish computer scientist
• Daniel Buchanan (mathematician) (1880–1950), Canadian mathematician
• Francis Buchanan-Hamilton (1762–1829), Scottish surgeon, geographer and naturalist
• George Buchanan (1506–1582), Scottish humanist
• George Wesley Buchanan (1921–2019), American biblical scholar
• Ian Buchanan (philosopher) (born 1969), Australian philosopher
• James M. Buchanan (1919–2013), American Nobel Prize prize-winning economist
• John Buchanan (botanist) (1819–1898), Scottish-born botanist active in New Zealand
• Judith Buchanan (born 1967), British scholar of Shakespeare and film
• June Buchanan (1887–1988), American educator
• Mary Buchanan (1885–1959), American mathematician at West Virginia University
• Mark Buchanan (born 1961), American physicist and author
• Robert Earle Buchanan (1883–1973), American bacteriologist
• Scott Buchanan (1895–1968), American educator and philosopher

Artists and writers

• Edna Buchanan (born 1939), American journalist and author
• Evelyne Oughtred Buchanan (1883–1979), British artist
• Robert Williams Buchanan (1841–1901), British poet, dramatist, and novelist
• Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (born 1989), American writer
• Ruth Buchanan (born 1980), contemporary New Zealand artist

Military

• Allen Buchanan (Medal of Honor) (1876–1940), American Medal of Honor recipient
• Archibald Buchanan (RAF officer) (born 1892, date of death unknown), American World War I flying ace with the British RAF
• David M. Buchanan (1862–1936), United States Navy sailor, recipient of the Medal of Honor
• Franklin Buchanan (1800–1874), American Confederate admiral
• Sir James Buchanan, 2nd Baronet (1840–1901), British Royal Navy officer
• Norman Buchanan (1915–2008), Royal Canadian Army officer awarded the Military Cross with two bars, later a furniture retailer and political figure
• Peter Buchanan (Royal Navy officer) (1925–2011), Royal Navy officer who became Naval Secretary
• Robert C. Buchanan (1811–1878), American soldier

Music

• Bill Buchanan (songwriter) (1930–1996), American songwriter
• Chester and Lester Buchanan, country musicians known as the Buchanan Brothers
• Colin Buchanan (musician) (born 1964), Australian singer, entertainer and multi-instrumentalist
• Georgia Buchanan (born 1990), English singer and songwriter
• Keisha Buchanan (born 1984), British-Jamaican singer
• Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 1949), Jamaican musician
• Michael "HouseShoes" Buchanan, American hip hop producer and DJ, who lives and works in Los Angeles
• Paul Buchanan (born 1956), member of the musical group The Blue Nile
• Roy Buchanan (1939–1988), American guitarist
• Walter Buchanan (musician) (1914–1988), American jazz bassist

Other

• John Buchanan (Virginia colonist) (died 1769) Colonial Virginia magistrate, landowner, and soldier
• Alan Buchanan (bishop) (1905–1984), Anglican bishop in Ireland
• Sir Andrew Buchanan, 1st Baronet (1807–1882), British diplomat and baronet
• Archibald C. Buchanan (1890–1979), American lawyer and judge
• Blake Buchanan, founder of Bahama Buck's
• Cheryl Buchanan (born 1955), Aboriginal Australian activist, partner of Lionel Fogarty
• Claudius Buchanan (1766–1815), Scottish divine
• Sir Colin Buchanan (town planner) (1907–2001), British transport expert
• George Buchanan (diplomat) (1854–1924), British ambassador in Russia 1911–1919
• George Buchanan (engineer, born 1790) (died 1852), Scottish civil engineer
• George Buchanan (engineer, born 1865) (died 1940), British civil engineer
• Isaac Buchanan (1810–1883), businessman and political figure in Canada West
• James Buchanan, 1st Baron Woolavington (1849–1935), British businessman and philanthropist
• "Major" John Buchanan (1759–1832), American frontiersman, founder of present-day Nashville, Tennessee
• Mary Beth Buchanan (born 1963), United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• Nathaniel Buchanan (1826–1901), Australian pioneer pastoralist, drover and explorer
• Peter Buchanan (architect) (1942–2023), architect, urbanist, writer, critic, lecturer and exhibition curator
• Peter Buchanan (judge) (1943–2014), Australian jurist
• Thomas Boughton Buchanan (1833–1924), Archdeacon of Wilts from 1874 until 1911
• William Buchanan (pastoralist) (1824–1911), Australian pastoralist and gold prospector

Politics

• Alan Buchanan (politician) (born 1952), Canadian university administrator and former politician
• Alick Buchanan-Smith (politician) (1932–1991), Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician
• Andrew Buchanan (American politician) (1780–1848), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• Andrew Buchanan (New Zealand politician) (1806–1877), member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1862 to 1874
• Arthur S. Buchanan (1856–1919), Associate Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court
• Bay Buchanan (born 1948), sister to Pat Buchanan, and former Treasurer of the United States
• Cameron Buchanan (politician) (1946–2023), Scottish politician
• Charles Pakenham Buchanan (1874–1924), Australian business man and mayor of Brisbane
• David Buchanan (politician) (1823–1890), barrister and politician in colonial New South Wales
• Edward Buchanan (born 1967), American politician and attorney
• Frank Buchanan (Illinois politician) (1862–1930), Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
• Frank Buchanan (Pennsylvania politician) (1902–1951), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• George Buchanan (politician) (1890–1955), Scottish politician
• James Buchanan (1791–1868), 15th president of the United States of America
• James P. Buchanan (1867–1937), American politician
• Joan Buchanan (born 1952), American politician
• John Buchanan (Canadian politician) (1931–2019), Canadian politician
• John Buchanan (American politician), Republican presidential candidate in 2004
• John A. Buchanan (1843–1921), American politician and judge
• John Hall Buchanan Jr. (1928–2018), American politician
• John P. Buchanan (1847–1930), Governor of Tennessee
• Mike Buchanan (born 1957), British men's rights activist, leader of the Justice for Men and Boys party
• Pam Buchanan (1937–1992), Australian politician
• Pat Buchanan (born 1938), American political commentator and Reform Party presidential nominee in 2000
• Thomas Buchanan (1808–1841), second governor of Liberia
• Thomas Buchanan (born 1963), Unionist politician from Northern Ireland
• Thomas Ryburn Buchanan (1846–1911), Scottish Liberal politician and bibliophile
• Vern Buchanan (born 1951), U.S. Representative from Florida
• William Buchanan (Manitoba politician) (1865–1944), Canadian politician
• William Ashbury Buchanan (1876–1954), Canadian politician and newspaper publisher

Sport

• Aimee Buchanan (born 1993), American-born Olympic figure skater for Israel
• Archie Buchanan (1928–1983), former association football player
• Barry Buchanan (born 1968), American professional wrestler ("Bull Buchanan")
• Brian Buchanan (born 1973), Major League Baseball outfielder
• Buck Buchanan (1940–1992), American football player
• Cameron Buchanan (footballer) (1928–2008), football player
• David Buchanan (cricketer) (1830–1900), amateur cricketer, notable for spin bowling
• David Buchanan (footballer, born 1962), English professional footballer
• David Buchanan (footballer, born 1986), professional footballer
• David Buchanan (baseball) (born 1989), American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Henry Buchanan (born 1978), American boxer
• Izett Buchanan (born 1972), American basketball player
• Jack Buchanan (rugby league) (born 1992), Australian Rugby League player
• John Buchanan (sailor) (1884–1943), Scottish Olympic medalist in sailing
• John Buchanan (footballer, born 1935) (died 2009), Scottish footballer
• John Buchanan (footballer, born 1951), Scottish footballer
• Kadeisha Buchanan (born 1995), Canadian soccer player
• Ken Buchanan (1945–2023), Scottish boxer
• Laurence Buchanan (born 1976), English cricketer
• Michael Buchanan (American football) (born 1991), American football defensive end for the New England Patriots
• Mike Buchanan (ice hockey) (1932–2017), Canadian former ice hockey defenceman
• Peter Buchanan (footballer, born 1915) (died 1977), Scottish footballer who played at both professional and international levels
• Peter Buchanan (rugby union) (1889–1957), rugby union player who represented Australia
• Ralph "Bucky" Buchanan (1922–2005), Canadian ice hockey right winger
• Ray Buchanan (born 1971), American football player
• Richard Buchanan (American football) (born 1969), American professional football wide receiver
• Robert Buchanan (footballer) (1868–1909), Scottish international footballer
• Robert Gordon Buchanan (born 1961), retired Major League Baseball pitcher
• Ron Buchanan (born 1944), former Canadian professional ice hockey centre
• Shamari Buchanan (born 1977), American football player
• Shaq Buchanan (born 1997), American basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Tim Buchanan (born 1946), former American football linebacker
• William Buchanan (footballer) (1865–?), Scottish footballer

Television and film

• Buchanan family, one of the main families in the American soap opera One Life to Live
• Colin Buchanan (actor) (born 1966), Scottish actor
• Edgar Buchanan (1903–1979), American actor
• Gordon Buchanan (born 1972), Scottish wildlife film maker
• Ian Buchanan (born 1957), Scottish television actor
• Jack Buchanan (1891–1957), Scottish actor and singer
• Jensen Buchanan (born 1962), American actress
• Lachlan Buchanan (born 1987), Australian actor
• Larry Buchanan (1923–2004), film director, producer and writer
• Luciane Buchanan (born 1993), New Zealand actress
• Neil Buchanan (born 1956), British television presenter
• Neville Buchanan (born 1959), British animator and director
• Simone Buchanan (born 1968), Australian actress
• Stuart Buchanan (1894–1974), American voice actor starring in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs playing the role of Humbert the Huntsman
• Tanner Buchanan (born 1998), American actor

Buchanan peerages

• Marquess of Graham and Buchanan
• Buchanan baronets, of Dunburgh
• Buchanan baronets, of Lavington

Fictional characters

• Pete Buchanan, fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks
• Princess Buchanan, fictional character from the British soap opera Doctors
• Phoenix Buchanan, fictional character from the children's film Paddington 2
• John Buchanan, fictional DA from the American crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit