The common south-eastern French surname Deschanel (probably for D'Eschanel, variation of eschamel "stepladder" or for Des Chanels "from the channels" or "from the little jugs"). It is supposed to be from the Ain département; it can refer to:
- A family of French politicians:
- Émile Deschanel (1819 - † 1904), French author and politician, and his son:
- Paul Deschanel (1855 - † 1922), 11th President of the French Republic
- A family of French American artists:
- Caleb Deschanel (1944 - ), American cinematographer, and his daughters:
- Emily Deschanel (1976 - ), actress
- Zooey Deschanel (1980 - ), actress
- Mary Jo Deschanel (1945 - ), an American actress