John Dawson is a name shared by several notable men, including:
- John Dawson (1744-1798), first Earl of Portarlington
- John Dawson (1781-1845), second Earl of Portarlington
- John Dawson (US Politician) (1762-1814)
- John Dawson (musician), a founding member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage
- John A Dawson, Specialist in Retail Innovation at the University of Edinburgh
- John A. Dawson (Canadian politician), a member in the 3rd Parliament of Canada from Pictou
- John Bennett Dawson, (1798-1845), US politician
- John Littleton Dawson, (1813-1870), US politician
- John Leonard Dawson, former Serjeant Surgeon of the Royal Household
- John R. Dawson (1950–2003), U.S. Ambassador to Peru (2002–2003)
- John W. Dawson, (1820-1877), US politician, former governor of Utah Territory
- John William Dawson, (1820-1899), Canadian geologist; namesake of the “Sir John William Dawson Medal”
- John Dawson Read, British singer and songwriter
- John Dawson (surgeon), (1734-1820) Surgeon and mathematician
- John Dawson, 19th century English racehorse trainer (see the UK races in Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing)
- John Dawson, co-founder of A&R Cambridge Ltd (ARCAM), a hi-fi audio manufacturer; Cambridge University graduate
- John Barkley Dawson, namesake of Dawson, New Mexico
John Dawson may also refer to:
- Johnny Winter, stage name of John Dawson Winter III (born 1944), blues guitarist and singer


