In German-speaking cultures, Strauß (the German word for ostrich) is a common surname, and Strauss and Straus are less common ones. Each of these three is either the surname, or its common English spelling, of notable figures. (The use of "Strauß" in the following list indicates the person's becoming notable under that spelling while living in a German-speaking culture, but "Strauss" is the more common English spelling in such cases.)

• Claude Lévi-Strauss (b. 1908), French anthropologist
• Christoph Strauss (around 1580 - 1631), composer
• David Strauß (1808 - 1874), theologian and writer
• Eduard Strauß (1835 - 1916), composer, son of Johann I
• Franz Strauss (1822 - 1905), horn player and composer
• Franz Josef Strauß (1915 - 1988), German politician
• Isidor Straus, owner of R.H. Macy Co., he and his wife Ida died when the RMS Titanic sank
• Johann Strauß I (1804 - 1849), composer, popularizer of the waltz
• Johann Strauß II (1825 - 1899), composer, son of Johann I, known as the "Waltz King"
• Johann Strauß III (1866 - 1939), composer, son of Eduard
• Josef Strauß (1827 - 1870), composer, son of Johann I
• Joseph Strauss (1870 - 1938), chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge
• Leo Strauss (1899 - 1973), political philosopher of Straussianism
• Levi Strauss (fl. mid-18^th century), American entrepeneur known for blue jeans
• Oscar Straus (1870 - 1954), Austrian composer of operettas
• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949), composer, son of Franz