Cappelen is a Norwegian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Cappelen (family), a distinguished Norwegian familyAndreas Zeier Cappelen (1915–2008), Norwegian jurist and politicianAugust Cappelen (1827–1852), Norwegian painterAxel Cappelen (1858–1919), Norwegian surgeonDiderik von Cappelen (1761–1838), Norwegian businessman and politicianDidrik Cappelen (born 1900), resistance fighter, county judge and politicianFrederick William Cappelen (1857–1921), Norwegian-born architect and Minneapolis City EngineerHans Cappelen (Hasse) (1903–79), businessman, resistance fighter and Norwegian witness in the Nuremberg trialsHerman Cappelen (born 1967), Norwegian philosopherJohan Cappelen (1889–1947), Norwegian jurist and politicianJørgen Wright Cappelen (1805–1878), Norwegian bookseller and publisherNicolai Benjamin Cappelen (1795–1866), Norwegian jurist and politicianPål Cappelen (born 1947), Norwegian handball playerPeder von Cappelen (1763–1837), Norwegian merchant and politicianSofie Cappelen (born 1982), Norwegian actressUlrich Fredrich von Cappelen (1770–1820), Norwegian ship owner and businessmanUlrik Frederik Cappelen (1797–1864), Norwegian jurist and politicianThomas Cappelen Malling (born 1970), Norwegian author and film directorElias Anton Cappelen Smith (1873–1949), Norwegian-American civil engineer and metallurgist