Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Baronet (21 November 1787 – 28 April 1865) was a Canadian-born British shipping magnate.

Cunard was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of a master carpenter and timber merchant who had fled the American Revolution and settled in Halifax.

Cunard's business skills were evident at an early age and by age 17 he was managing his own general store. He later joined his father in the family timber business, which he expanded into coal, iron, shipping and whaling.