Rousseau is a French surname. Many influential cultural workers have gone by this name, although the person most likely to be referred to simply as Rousseau is Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) an author and influential philosopher.
• Eugène Rousseau (1827-1891) an artist of glass and ceramics
• Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) an artist also known as Le Douanier
• Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (1671-1741) a poet
• Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867) a painter of landscapes