Cato is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Beth Cato (born 1980), American speculative fiction writer and poet
Bette Cato (1924–1996), American politician
Bob Cato (1923–1999), American photographer and graphic designer, two-time Grammy Award winner for album covers
Connie Cato (born 1955), American country music singer
Cordell Cato (born 1992), Trinidadian footballer
Daryl Cato (1920–1970), American National Football League player
Diomedes Cato (1560 to 1565–1618), Italian-born Polish composer
George Christopher Cato (1814–?), first mayor of Durban, South Africa
Harry Cato (born 1958), American politician
John Cato (1926–2011), Australian fine art photographer and teacher
Kelvin Cato (born 1974), American basketball player
Lennox Cato (born 1961), British antiques dealer, one of the experts on the British television series Antiques Roadshow
Leo Cato, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Grenada since 2022
Louis Cato (born 1985), American musician, bandleader of The Late Show Band
Lurine Cato, British gospel singer and songwriter
Milton Cato (1915–1997), first Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Minto Cato (1900–1979), African-American singer and operatic mezzo-soprano
Molly Scott Cato (born 1963), British politician and economist
Nancy Cato (1917–2000), Australian writer
Noah Cato (born 1988), English rugby union player
Rakeem Cato (born 1992), American football player
Roland Cato (born 1997), Grenadian cricketer
Sam Cato (born 1992), English former first-class cricketer
Suzy Cato (born 1968), New Zealand entertainer