A surgical staple remover comprises first and second handle elements pivotally connected to each other. The front portion of the first handle element terminates in a pair of outwardly extending anvil sections having outside surfaces that diverge away from each other in the front to rear direction so that different size staples may be received thereon until the staples contact the diverging outside surfaces thereof. A blade section on the front portion of the second handle element is constructed and arranged for movement toward and away from the anvil sections, and the blade section has a lower concavely curved staple engaging edge. The curved edge engages a staple on the anvil sections with a downward and rearward force to produce a U-shaped bend in the crown of the staple to thereby facilitate its removal.