Frederick Chapman (13 February 1864 – 10 December 1943) was an English-born Australian palaeontologist. He was the inaugural Commonwealth palaeontologist in Australia, and a world authority on Foraminifera.

Frederick Chapman was born in Camden Town, London, England, on 13 February 1864. He was the son of surgical instrument-maker Robert Chapman and his wife Eleanor (née Dinsey).

He studied at and qualified as a teacher of geology and physiography from the Royal College of Science in London, where he was from 1881 an assistant to John Wesley Judd. He was encouraged by Judd's study of boring samples from around London.^{[citation needed]}

Chapman was palaeontologist to the National Museum of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, from 1902 to 1927. During this time he was assigned the task of amalgamating and organising the fossil collections of fossils the Geological Survey of Victoria and the University of Melbourne. He published papers on the collection of fossils stored there, including sponges, corals, and fishes.

From 1920 until 1932, he also lectured part-time at the University of Melbourne.

He then served as the first Australian Commonwealth Palaeontologist from 1927 until 1935, where his brief included analysing fossils from materials extracted in the course of exploring the country in hopes of finding oil. Irene Crespin was his assistant, and later succeeded him. His Book of Fossils was published in London and Sydney in 1934.

Chapman served as president of:

He was also honorary curator of the Maranoa Botanic Gardens in Balwyn, Melbourne.