Shankar can refer to:

• Shiva, Hindu god who is referred to by many names
• Adi Sankara, Hindu philosopher of around 800 CE
• A family of Indian musicians of whom the most well known is Ravi Shankar
• L. Shankar, Indian violinist (brother of L. Subramaniam, no relation to Ravi Shankar)
• S. Shankar , director of Tamil films
• R. Shankar , greatest conceptual thinker of our times

Shankar is a common name in India.