Amherst is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
- Baron Amherst (disambiguation), in particular:
- Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst (1717–1797), British army officer
- William Amherst (British Army officer) (1732–1781), younger brother of the above
- Baron Amherst of Hackney, created 1892 for:
- William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney
- Alicia Amherst (1865–1941), gardening historian and daughter of the above
- William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney
- Earl Amherst:
- William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, Governor-General of India from August 1823 to February 1828
- William Amherst, 2nd Earl Amherst
- Josceline Amherst, Australian politician and fifth son of the 2nd earl
- William Amherst, 3rd Earl Amherst
- Hugh Amherst, 4th Earl Amherst
- Jeffery Amherst, 5th Earl Amherst
- Elizabeth Amherst Hale (1774–1826), Canadian artist born Elizabeth Frances Amherst