John Patterson can mean any of the following:

• John Patterson (1805-1856), a Canadian businessman and canal builder
• John J. Patterson US senator from South Carolina from 1873 to 1879.
• John W. Patterson, nicknamed "Pat", an African American baseball player around the turn of the 20th century.
• John Malcolm Patterson (born 1921), an American politician.
• John Tiffen Patterson (1940-2005), an American film director.
• John Patterson (musician), an Australian musician.
• John Patterson (pitcher) (born 1978), a major league pitcher.