Kolbe as a surname may refer to:
- Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe (1818–1884), German chemist
- Caroline Ridderstolpe, née Kolbe (1793–1878), Swedish composer and singer
- Fritz Kolbe (1900–1971), German diplomat and World War II Allied spy
- Georg Kolbe (1877–1947), German sculptor
- Heinrich Christoph Kolbe (1771–1836), German painter
- Hermann Julius Kolbe (1855-1939), German entomologist
- Jim Kolbe (born 1942), American politician
- Maximilian Kolbe (1894–1941), Polish Conventual Franciscan friar and saint
- Parke Kolbe (1881–1942), American author, teacher, administrator and university president
- Peter-Michael Kolbe (born 1953), German rower and five time world champion
- Winrich Kolbe (1940–2012), German-born American television director and producer