Potter is an English surname that originally referred to someone who made pottery. It is occasionally used as a given name. People with the name include:

Surname

• Albert Potter (1897–1942), English footballer
• Alexandra Potter (born 1970), British author
• Alfie Potter (born 1989), English football player
• Alfred Potter (1827–1878), English clergyman and cricketer
• Allen Potter (1818–1885), American politician
• Alonzo Potter (1800–1865, Bishop of Pennsylvania
• A. J. Potter "Archie" (1918–1980), Irish composer
• Anice Potter Terhune (1873-1964), American author and composer
• Arnold Potter (1804–1872), American self-declared Messiah
• Art Potter (1909–1998), Canadian ice hockey administrator
• Barbara Potter (born 1961), American tennis player
• Barnaby Potter (1577–1642), Bishop of Carlisle
• Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), British children's writer
• Bert Potter (disambiguation), several people including:
  • Bert Potter (composer) (1874–1930), American composer
• Beryl H. Potter (1900-1985), American astronomer
• Beryl Potter (d. 1998), Canadian disability rights activist
• Bill Potter (1872–1970), Australian footballer for Fitzroy
• Bill Potter (musician), country singer and television personality
• Brandon Potter (born 1982), American voice actor
• B. T. Potter (born 2000), American football player
• Carol Potter (poet), American poet
• Carol Potter (actress) (born 1948), American actress
• Cassandra Potter (born 1981), American curler
• Charles E. Potter (1916–1979), American politician
• Cherry Potter, British journalist
• Christopher Potter (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • Christopher Potter (provost) (1591–1646), English academic and clergyman
  • Christopher Potter (died 1817), MP for Colchester 1781–2 and 1784
  • Chris Potter (priest) (born 1949), Dean and Archdeacon of St Asaph
  • Christopher Potter (author) (born 1959), English author and publisher
  • Chris Potter (actor) (born 1960), Canadian actor, musician and pitchman
  • Chris Potter (jazz saxophonist) (born 1971), American jazz saxophonist and composer
  • Chris Potter (record producer), British record producer and mixer
• Cipriani Potter (1792–1871) British composer, pianist and educator
• Clare Potter (1903–1999), American fashion designer
• Clarkson Nott Potter (1825–1882), American civil engineer, lawyer and politician
• Clayton D. Potter (1880–1924), Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
• Craig Potter (born 1984), Scottish football player
• Cynthia Potter (born 1950), American diver
• Dale Potter (born 1949), Canadian football player
• Danny Potter (born 1979), English football player
• Darren Potter (born 1984), Irish football player
• David M. Potter (1910–1971), American historian
• Dennis Potter (1935–1994), British playwright
• Don Potter (1902–2004), British sculptor and potter
• Don Potter (musician), American musician
• Dora Joan Potter (1915–1987), Australian children's author
• Edmund Potter (1802–1883), British industrialist, MP for Carlisle, Beatrix Potter's grandfather
• Edward Clark Potter (1857–1923), American sculptor
• Edward Tuckerman Potter (1831–1904), American architect
• Elderkin Potter (1782–1845), American politician and lawyer from Ohio
• Elisha Reynolds Potter (1764–1835), American congressman from Rhode Island
• Elisha R. Potter (1811–1882), American congressman from Rhode Island, son of Elisha Reynolds Potter
• Emery D. Potter (1804–1896), American politician
• Frederick Potter (1857–1941), New Zealand businessman
• Fuller Potter (1910–1990), American abstract expressionist artist
• George Potter (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • George Potter (politician) (1883–1945), Australian politician
  • George Richard Potter (1900–1982), British historian
• Gilbert Potter (1878–1921), Irish police officer
• Glenn Potter (born c. 1938), American basketball coach
• Graham Potter (born 1975), English footballer and manager
• Greg Potter, American comic book writer
• Harrison Potter (1891–1984), American pianist
• Henry Codman Potter (1835–1908), American clergyman
• Horatio Potter (1802–1887), American bishop
• Ian Potter (born 1968), British writer
• Jack Potter (born 1938), Australian cricketer
• James Potter (disambiguation), several people
• Jennie O'Neill Potter (1867–1900), American actor and dramatic reader
• Jenny Potter (born 1979), American ice hockey player
• John Potter (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • John Potter (bishop) (c. 1674–1747), Archbishop of Canterbury
  • John Potter (Liberal politician) (1815–1858), British Liberal politician
  • John Potter (Conservative politician) (1873–1940), British Conservative politician
  • John Potter (footballer) (born 1979), Scottish football player
  • John E. Potter, American Postmaster General
  • John F. Potter (1817–1899), American politician
  • Jon Potter (born 1963), British field hockey player
  • Jonathan Potter (born 1956), British professor and originator of discursive psychology
  • Jonathan Potter (cricketer) (born 1971), English cricketer
  • Jonathan Potter (computer programmer), Australian programmer
• Judith Potter (born 1942), New Zealand judge
• K.C. Potter (born 1939), American academic administrator and LGBT rights activist
• Kimberly Potter, a 48-year-old police officer convicted of killing Daunte Wright
• Lela Brooks Potter (1908–1990), Canadian speed skater
• Luke Potter (born 1989), English football player
• Madeleine Potter (born 1958), American actress
• Maisie Potter (born 1997), Welsh snowboarder
• Mark Potter (sportscaster) (born 1960), Canadian sports broadcaster
• Mark Potter (judge) (born 1937), British judge
• Mark Potter (musician), British musician from the band Elbow
• Martin Potter (actor) (born 1944), British actor
• Martin Potter (surfer) (born 1965), British surfer
• Matthew Potter, Irish academic
• Maureen Potter (1925–2004), Irish actress
• Micah Potter (born 1998), American professional basketball player
• Michael Potter (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • Michael Potter (immunologist) (1924–2013), American physician and immunologist
  • Michael Potter (born 1963), Australian rugby league footballer and coach
  • Mike Potter (racing driver) (1949–2022), American racecar driver
  • Mike Potter (baseball) (born 1951), American baseball outfielder
  • Michael Cressé Potter (1858–1948), English botanist, herbarium curator, and Anglican priest
• Mitch Potter (born 1980), American track and field athlete
• Monica Potter (born 1971), American actress
• Mary Potter (disambiguation), several people
• Neal Potter (1915–2008), American politician
• Nels Potter (1911–1999), American baseball player
• Nelson Thomas Potter Jr. (1939–2013), American philosopher
• Norm Potter (18??–1951), Australian rugby league footballer
• Orlando B. Potter (1823–1894), American politician
• Patricia Potter (born 1975), British actress
• Paulus Potter (1625–1654), Dutch painter
• Philip Potter (church leader) (1921–2015), Methodist minister
• Philip Potter (1936–2016), British opera singer
• Robert Brown Potter (1829–1887), American Civil War General
• Robert Potter (1909–2010), British architect
• Roger Potter (1907–1982), American basketball coach
• Ron Potter, Australian rugby league footballer
• Russell Potter (born 1960), American writer
• Ryan Potter (born 1995), American actor
• Sally Potter (born 1949), British film director and screenwriter
• Samuel J. Potter (1753–1804), American Senator
• Sarah Potter (born 1961), English cricketer
• Stephen Potter (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • Stephen Potter (1900–1969), British author of self-help books
• Ted Potter (born 1944), Australian rules footballer
• Ted Potter Jr. (born 1983), American PGA Tour golfer
• Thomas Potter (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • Thomas Potter (Universalist) (1689–1777), American Universalist
  • Thomas Potter (industrialist) (1745–1811), Scottish-born Danish industrialist and merchant
  • Thomas Potter (mayor) (1774–1845), mayor of Manchester, England, father of Thomas Bayley Potter
  • Thomas Bayley Potter (1817–1898), British politician
  • Thomas J. Potter (1840–1888), vice-president and general manager of the Union Pacific Railroad
  • Thomas Rossell Potter (1799–1873), British naturalist
  • Tom Potter (born 1940), Mayor of Portland, Oregon
  • Tommy Potter (1918–1988), jazz double bass player
• Van Rensselaer Potter (1911–2001), American biochemist
• Vincent Potter (c. 1614–1661), army officer, Regicide of King Charles I
• William Potter (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • William Appleton Potter (1842–1909), American architect
  • William C. Potter, American scientist and professor
  • William Everett Potter (1905–1988), Governor of Panama Canal Zone
  • William Knight Potter (1844–1914), businessman and mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
  • William P. Potter, American naval commander
  • William Simpson Potter (1805–1879), British author
  • William W. Potter (Michigan politician) (1869–1940), American politician
  • William Wilson Potter (1792–1839), American politician

Given name

• Potter P. Howard (fl. 1947–1951), mayor of Boise, Idaho
• Potter Palmer (1826–1902), American businessman and Chicago-area developer
• Potter Stewart (1915–1985), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. His opinion in the Jacobellis v. Ohio obscenity trial popularized the phrase "I know it when I see it."

Fictional characters

• The Potter family, principal characters in A.S. Byatt's "Frederica Quartet" novels: The Virgin in the Garden (1978), Still Life (1985), Babel Tower (1996), and A Whistling Woman (2002)
• Bonifacio "Potter", from the Peruvian TV series Al Fondo Hay Sitio
• Brian Potter, from the British sitcom Phoenix Nights
• Cedric Potter, from Under Capricorn
• Clarence Potter, from Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory alternate history novel series
• Gail Potter, from the British soap opera Coronation Street
• From the Harry Potter series:
  • Albus Severus Potter, Harry Potter and Ginny Potter (née Weasley)'s son
  • Ginny Potter (née Weasley), Harry Potter's wife
  • Harry Potter, title character
  • James Potter, Lily Potter (née Evans)'s husband and Harry Potter's father
  • James Sirius Potter, Harry Potter and Ginny Potter (née Weasley)'s son
  • Lily Luna Potter, Harry Potter and Ginny Potter (née Weasley)'s daughter
  • Lily Potter (née Evans), James Potter's wife and Harry Potter's mother
  • Fleamont Potter, James Potter's father and Harry Potter's paternal grandfather^[1]
  • Euphemia Potter, James Potter's mother and Harry Potter's paternal grandmother
• Harry Potter Jr., from the film Troll
• Mr. Potter, from the film It's A Wonderful Life
• Joey Potter, from the TV series Dawson's Creek
• Marygay Potter, from Joe Haldeman's science fiction novel The Forever War
• Melvin Potter, a Marvel Comics character, formerly the villain Gladiator
• Mr. Potter, from the film The Stranger
• Norman Potter, the school caretaker from the British sitcom Please Sir!
• Pansy Potter, from The Beano
• Peter Potter "Painless", from The Paleface
• Peter Potter Jr. "Junior", from Son of Paleface
• Professor Potter, a DC Comics character
• Sherman T. Potter, from the TV series M*A*S*H and AfterMASH
• Tycho Potter, from Margaret Mahy's novel The Catalogue of the Universe