Saunders is a surname of English and Scottish patronymic origin derived from Sander, a mediæval form of Alexander.

People with the surname Saunders include:

• Al Saunders, American football coach
• Allen Saunders, American cartoonist
• Alvin Saunders, American politician
• Albert Charles Saunders, Canadian politician
• Arthur Frederick Saunders, British soldier
• A. P. Saunders Chemist, Peony breeder
• Ben Saunders, British polar explorer
• Bradley Saunders English boxer
• Charles Saunders:
  • Charles Saunders (admiral) (1713-1775), British admiral
  • Charles Saunders (administrator) (d. 1931), British administrator
  • Charles Saunders (rower) (1902-1994), New Zealand rower
  • Charles Saunders (tennis player), real tennis world champion (1890-1895)
  • Charles E. Saunders (1867-1937), Canadian agronomist
• Cicely Saunders, British physician
• Clarence Saunders, American retailer
• E. Dale Saunders, American scholar
• Dave Saunders, American volleyball player
• David Saunders (American football), American football receiver
• Dean Saunders, Welsh footballer
• Dero A. Saunders, American journalist
• Doug Saunders, Canadian journalist
• Drew P. Saunders, American politician
• Ernest Saunders, British businessman
• Flip Saunders, American basketball coach
• George Saunders, American short story writer
• Helen Saunders, British artist
• Howard Saunders, British ornithologist
• Hugh William Lumsden Saunders, South African Royal Air Force commander
• Irene Saunders, American dictionary compiler
• J. J. Saunders, British historian
• Jack Saunders, Australian cricketer
• Jake Saunders, British banker in Hong Kong
• Jennifer Saunders, British comedienne, of French & Saunders
• Joe Saunders, American baseball player
• John Saunders (journalist), Canadian journalist
• John Cunningham Saunders, British surgeon
• Justine Saunders, Australian actress
• Kate Saunders, British journalist
• Kenneth J. Saunders, m.a., litt.d., professor of history of religions, writer (K. J. Saunders)
• Laurence Saunders, British preacher of the sixteenth century
• Leslie Howard Saunders, Canadian mayor
• Margaret Marshall Saunders, Canadian writer
• Matthew Saunders, English footballer
• Merl Saunders, American musician
• Nicholas Saunders (Vice-Chancellor) of the University of Newcastle
• Nicholas Saunders (activist), British entrepreneur of the Alternative Culture and, later, Ecstasy advocate
• Nicholas J. Saunders (b.1953), British academic archaeologist and anthropologist
• Nick Saunders, the Bermudian high jumper
• Nigella Saunders, Jamaican badminton player
• Norman Saunders, American illustrator
• Norman Saunders (politician), politician from the Turks and Caicos Islands
• Oliver Saunders, jazz pianist
• Pamela Saunders, American model
• Peter Saunders, disambiguation
• Rachel Saunders, American beauty queen
• Raymond Saunders:
  • Raymond Saunders (artist)
  • Raymond Saunders (clockmaker)
• Rebecca Saunders, composer
• Reg Saunders, Australian army officer
• Richard Saunders, disambiguation
• Robert Saunders, American mayor
• Robert Hood Saunders, Canadian mayor
• Romulus Mitchell Saunders, North Carolina politician
• Ron Saunders, English football player and manager
• Stephen Saunders (military attache), a British military attache based in Greece
• Thomas Harry Saunders, British paper-maker
• Tony Saunders, American baseball player
• Turner Saunders, American Methodist preacher
• William Saunders (botanist), American botanist
• William Saunders (photographer), British photographer
• William Wilson Saunders, British entomologist

Fictional characters with the surname Saunders include:

• Daniel (Danny) Saunders, in Chaim Potok's The Chosen and The Promise
• Finbarr Saunders, in Viz
• Grace Saunders, in the Alone in the Dark series
• Reb Isaac Saunders, in Chaim Potok's The Chosen and The Promise
• Speed Saunders, in DC Comics
• Stephen Saunders (24 character), in 24