Shanks is a surname, and may refer to:
- Alison Shanks - New Zealand professional racing cyclist
- Bill Shanks - American sports broadcaster and writer
- Bruce Shanks, (1908 – 1980) - former editorial cartoonist for the Buffalo Evening News
- Charles G. Shanks (1841 – 1895) - 19th century journalist and associate editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal
- Daniel Shanks - a mathematician from Maryland
- Don Shanks (footballer) - British footballer
- Don Shanks (stuntman) - American actor and stuntman
- Donald Shanks (bass-baritone) - Australian operatic bass-baritone
- Edward Shanks - English writer
- Emily Shanks - British painter, born in Russia
- George Shanks - first translator of the Protocols of Zion into the English language
- Hershel Shanks - founder of the Biblical Archaeology Society
- Howard "Howie" Shanks (1890 – 1941) - former professional baseball player
- John Shanks - American rock musician and song writer
- John Shanks - actor in English Renaissance theatre
- John Peter Cleaver Shanks (1826 – 1901) - U.S. Representative from Indiana
- Juanita Jewel Shanks - American civil rights pioneer who was the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in 1944
- Katrina Shanks - New Zealand politician
- Michael Shanks - actor best known for his role as Daniel Jackson on Stargate SG-1
- Michael Shanks (archaeologist)
- Nancy Shanks - American singer associated with Tori Amos
- Niall Shanks - Canadian history professor at the University of Alberta
- Norman Shanks - a Church of Scotland minister
- Oliver Shanks - a boxer
- Rosalind "Rosalie" Shanks - British actress
- Simon Shanks - (1977 – 2006), former linebacker for the NFL team Arizona Cardinals
- Tommy Shanks - former Irish soccer player
- William Shanks (1812 – 1882) - an English amateur mathematician, famous for his calculation of over 500 of digits of π, by hand
Shanks is a placename, and may refer to:
- Camp Shanks - a United States Army installation in the town of Orangetown, New York
- Shanks, West Virginia - in Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States
- Shanks Islands (Tasmania) - Australia
Other uses:
- Armitage Shanks - a UK toilet manufacturer
- "Red-Haired" Shanks - a character in the One Piece manga and anime series
- Shanks birds - a group of wading bird species
- Shanks & Bigfoot - a British songwriting/production duo
- Shanks Group plc - a UK waste mangamement company
- Shanks Restaurant - former Michelin starred restaurant in Northern Ireland
- Shanks (film) - a 1974 movie directed by William Castle and starring Marcel Marceau
- Shank (disambiguation)