Oppel is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
- Albert Oppel (1831–1865), German paleontologist
- Dorsum Oppel, a wrinkle ridge in Mare Crisium on the Moon
- Kenneth Oppel (born 1967), Canadian author
- Nicolaus Michael Oppel (1782–1820), German naturalist
- Reinhard Oppel (1878–1941), German composer
- Richard A. Oppel Jr., an American journalist who reported for The New York Times from Iraq, Israel and Washington, D.C.
- Richard Oppel (born 1943), American journalist and was editor of the Austin American-Statesman from 1995 to 2008
- Robert Opel, (1939–1979), born Robert Oppel before changing his name to Opel, an American photographer, art gallery owner, and streaker