Sir Alexander Cunningham (born 23 January 1814, London – died 28 November 1893, London) was an English archaeologist and army engineer.

He joined the Bengal Engineers at the age of 19 and spent next 28 years in the service of British Government of India and retired as a Major General in 1861. He was the first director (1861-1865) of the Archaeological Survey of India. In the year 1867, he was knighted.

He was associated with excavation of many sites in India, including Sarnath, Sanchi and Mahabodhi Temple. Books written by him include The Ancient Geography of India (1871), The Book of Indian Eras (1883) and Coins of Ancient India (1891). His collection of rare Indian coins are displayed in the British Museum.