Cavendish is the surname of a British noble family, also known as the House of Cavendish, descended from Sir John Cavendish of Cavendish in the county of Suffolk (c. 1346–1381), which has held the following peerages:
Members of this family include:
- Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire (1920-2004) , British government minister
- Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, (1920- ) Mitford sister and writer
- Edward Cavendish (1838-1891), British politician
- Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895–1950), Minister in Winston Churchill's wartime cabinet
- Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1870-1960), Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary
- Lord Frederick Cavendish (1836-1882), British Liberal politician
- Lord Frederick Cavendish (soldier)
- George Cavendish (writer) (1500–c.1562), English writer, biographer of Cardinal Wolsey
- Lord George Cavendish
- Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806), socialite
- Henry Cavendish (1731-1810), scientist, for whom the Cavendish Laboratory is named
- John Cavendish
- Lord John Cavendish (1734-1796), English politician
- Louisa, Duchess of Devonshire (1832-1911) the "Double Duchess"
- Lucy Cavendish
- Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673), English writer
- Mark Cavendish (born 1985), British cyclist
- Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1895-1988) Mistress of the Robes to Elizabeth II
- Peregrine Cavendish (born 1944), 12th Duke of Devonshire, horse racing devotee
- Lord Richard Cavendish
- Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire (1833-1908), British Liberal statesman
- Thomas Cavendish (1555-1592), "The Navigator", British explorer
- Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (1868–1938), British politician, Governor General of Canada (1916-1921)
- William Cavendish (courtier) (1505-1557), English courtier
- William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1592-1676) English soldier, politician and writer
- William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, (1698-1755) Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1737-44.
- William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (1720-64) briefly Prime Minister of Great Britain
- William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858), Lord Chamberlain to King William IV
- William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire (1808—1891), Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1861-1891
- William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (1917–1944), killed in action, Belgium - World War II
- Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish (1920–1948), daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
- William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington aka Bill Burlington (born 1969), professional photographer
The 3rd to 9th Dukes of Portland were descended from the Cavendish family in the female line and took the surname Cavendish-Bentinck or a variant thereof. Their principal seat, Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, came to them through the Cavendish connection.
