Hessel is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Bernd Hessel (born 1961), West German sprint canoeistFranz Hessel (1880–1941), German author, translator and lecturerLasse Hessel (born 1940), Danish doctor and inventorJohann F. C. Hessel (1796–1872), German physician and mineralogistMats Hessel (born 1961), Swedish ice hockey playerPhoebe Hessel (1713–1812), woman who disguised herself as a man in order to serve in the British ArmyStéphane Hessel (1917–2013), French Resistance fighter, diplomat, and writer