Gao Yan may refer to:
- Gao Yan (Northern Qi emperor), Emperor Xiaozhao of Northern Qi
- Gao Yan (Northern Qi prince), prince of Northern Qi, son of Emperor Wucheng
- J. J. M. de Groot, Chinese name Gao Yan, Dutch sinologist
- Gao Yan (politician), former Communist Party Secretary of Yunnan, Governor of Jilin, and leader of the State Power Corporation of China
- Gao Yan (student), Peking University student, who committed suicide in 1998 after allegations of rape against a prominent professor