Potapenko (Ukrainian: Потапенко) is a Ukrainian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Gennady Potapenko (1894–1979), American radio astronomerIgnaty Potapenko (1856–1929), Russian writer and playwrightOleksiy Potapenko, or Potap (born 1981), Ukrainian singer, composer and producerValeriy I. Potapenko (born 1963), Ukrainian screenwriter and producerVasyl' Potapenko (1886–1934), Ukrainian guide-boy for kobzar Tereshko Parkhomenko and banduristVitaly Potapenko (born 1975), Ukrainian basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association