List of people named William

William is a masculine given name which may refer to:

Saints

• Saint William (disambiguation), lists several saints named William

Royalty and nobility

Ordered chronologically

British

• William the Conqueror (c. 1028-1087) First Norman King of England, Duke of Normandy
• William II of England (c.1057-1100) King of England
• William III of England (1650-1702) King of England, Scotland and Ireland, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel
• William IV (1765-1837) King of the United Kingdom and Hanover
• William I of Scotland (–1214), a.k.a. William the Lion
• William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146/7–1219), Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman
• William IX, Count of Poitiers (1153–1156), first son of Henry II of England
• William, Prince of Wales (born 1982), elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales

Dutch

• William I, Count of Holland (1167–1222), Count of Holland
• William II of Holland (1228–1256), also King of Germany
• William I, Prince of Orange (1533–1584), a.k.a. William the Silent
• William II, Prince of Orange (1626–1650), stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands
• William III of Orange (1650–1702), also William III of England and William II of Scotland
• William IV, Prince of Orange (1711–1751), first hereditary Stadtholder of all the United Provinces
• William I of the Netherlands (1772–1843), Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg
• William V, Prince of Orange (1748–1806), last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic
• William II of the Netherlands (1792–1849), King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg
• William III of the Netherlands (1817–1890), King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg

French

• William of Gellone (–812 or 814), Count of Toulouse, canonized a saint
• William Longsword (), second Duke of Normandy
• William XI, Count of Auvergne
• William XII, Count of Auvergne (1300–1332), Count of Auvergne from 1325 to 1332

German

• William I, German Emperor, (1797–1888), Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia
• Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941), Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia

Sicilian

• William I of Sicily (1131–1166), a.k.a. William the Bad or William the Wicked
• William II of Sicily (1155–1189), a.k.a. William the Good
• William III of Sicily (1190–1198), last Norman King of Sicily, reigning briefly for ten months in 1194

Cameroon

• William I of Bimbia, 19th-century king of the Isubu people
• William II of Bimbia (died 1882), king of the Isubu people

Other

• William I (disambiguation), multiple royals and nobles
• William II, multiple royals and nobles
• William II of Villehardouin (died 1278), Prince of Achaea
• William III, multiple royals and nobles
• William IV (disambiguation), multiple royals and nobles
• William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1852–1912; )
• William V, multiple royals and nobles
• William VI, multiple royals and nobles
• William VII, multiple royals and nobles
• William VIII, multiple royals and nobles
• William IX, multiple royals and nobles
• William X, multiple royals and nobles
• William of Werle (died 1436/94-1436), Lord of Werle-Güstrow
• William, Prince of Albania (1876–1945), from March to September 1914

Pre-modern era commoners

Ordered chronologically

British

• William (bishop of the Isles) (died 1095), bishop of what later became the Diocese of the Isles
• William Aiton (disambiguation), several people
• William de Corbeil (c. 1070–1136), Archbishop of Canterbury
• William of Malmesbury (died 1143), English historian and monk
• William of Tyre (c. 1130–1185), Archbishop of Tyre, chronicler of the Crusades
• William of Norwich (c. 1132–1144), saint and martyr
• William of York (died 1154), Archbishop of York and saint
• William (bishop of Moray) (died 1162), Roman Catholic bishop in Scotland
• William the Trouvère (), English Anglo-Norman poet and translator
• William of Ramsey (fl. 1219), English monk and hagiographer
• William (bishop of Dunblane) (died early 1290s), Tironensian abbot and bishop in the Kingdom of Scotland
• William Wallace (c.  1270–1305), Scottish general and one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence
• William of Ockham (1287–1347), English friar and philosopher, originator of Occam's Razor
• William of Wykeham (1320–1404), Bishop of Winchester, founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford
• William Caxton (c. 1422–c. 1491), English merchant, diplomat and writer, thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England
• William Shakespeare (c. 23 April 1564 - 23 April 1616), English playwright, poet, and actor. Widely regarded as the most influential English writer of all time.

French

• William of Poitiers (c. 1020–1090), Norman chronicler, chaplain to William the Conqueror
• William de St-Calais (died 1096), Norman abbot, Bishop of Durham
• William (bishop of Orange) (died 1098), took part in the First Crusade
• William of Champeaux (1070–1121), French philosopher and theologian
• William of Conches (c. 1090–c. 1154), French scholastic philosopher, tutor of Henry II of England
• William of Donjeon (c. 1155–1209), a.k.a. St. William of Bourges and St. William the Confessor, French archbishop
• William the Clerk (), Old French poet, writer of the Roman de Fergus
• William the Clerk of Normandy (), Norman cleric and Old French poet
• William of Auxerre (died 1231), French theologian

Other

• William (March of Pannonia) (died 871), Margrave in the Carolingian Empire
• William (archbishop of Mainz) (929–968), German bishop, son of Emperor Otto the Great
• William of St-Thierry (died 1148), theologian and mystic, abbot of St. Thierry
• William of Moerbeke (1215–1286), Flemish bishop, translator of philosophical, medical, and scientific texts

Modern era

Several people

• William Adams (disambiguation), several people
• William Andrews (disambiguation), several people
• William Arnaud (disambiguation), several people
• William Arnett (disambiguation), several people
• William Arnold (disambiguation), several people
• William Arnott (disambiguation), several people
• William Ash (disambiguation), several people
• William Barnett (disambiguation), several people
• William Barr (disambiguation), several people
• William Barry (disambiguation), several people
• William Bartram (disambiguation), several people
• William Beckett (disambiguation), several people
• William Bell (disambiguation), several people
• William Boyd (disambiguation), several people
• William Bridges (disambiguation), several people
• William Brydges (disambiguation), several people
• William Byrd (disambiguation), several people
• William Campbell (disambiguation), multiple people
• William Copeland (disambiguation), multiple people
• William Davis (disambiguation), several people
• William Douglas (disambiguation), several people
• William Duane (disambiguation), several people
• William Fuller (disambiguation), several people
• William Garnett (disambiguation), several people
• William Gay (disambiguation), several people
• William Hamilton (disambiguation), several people
• William Handy (disambiguation), several people
• William Harrison (disambiguation), several people
• William Jones (disambiguation), several people
• William Kelley (disambiguation), several people
• William King (disambiguation), several people
• William Lee (disambiguation), several people
• William Llewellyn (disambiguation), several people
• William Long (disambiguation), several people
• William Miller (disambiguation), multiple people
• William Monypenny (disambiguation), several people
• William Moses (disambiguation), several people
• William Mullins (disambiguation), several people
• William North (disambiguation), several people
• William Price (disambiguation), several people
• William Prince (disambiguation), several people
• William Rice (disambiguation), several people
• William Richardson (disambiguation), several people
• William Rush (disambiguation), several people
• William Shaw (disambiguation), several people
• William Simpson (disambiguation), several people
• William Smith (disambiguation), several people
• William Swift (disambiguation), several people
• William Wallace (disambiguation), several people
• William Wales (disambiguation), several people
• William Wegman (disambiguation), several people
• William White (disambiguation), several people
• William Wolf (disambiguation), several people
• William Wolfe (disambiguation), several people
• William Wolff (disambiguation), several people
• William Wood (disambiguation), several people
• William Woods (disambiguation), several people
• William Wright (disambiguation), several people
• William Wyatt (disambiguation), several people

Others

• William Henry Aldis (1871–1948), English Protestant missionary
• Lt. William "Vasilios" "Bill" George Aliapoulos (1917–2008), American-born Greek engineer and 1st Lieutenant platoon leader of the 406th Engineer Combat Company
• William "Jock" Alves ( 1909–1979), Rhodesian physician and politician
• William Amaral de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian football manager and former centre-back
• William Edward Atkinson (1946–2006), American Augustinian priest and educator
• William Ayache (born 1961), French footballer and manager
• William Ball (suffragist) (born 1862), British workers union member who supported women's suffrage
• William Barnes (born 1992), American musician and singer-songwriter known professionally as Will Toledo
• Bill Beagan (born 1937), Canadian ice hockey administrator
• William Beausire (disappeared 1975), British-Chilean commercial engineer
• William Sperry Beinecke (1914–2018), American philanthropist and businessman
• William Bianchini (born 1960), Luxembourgish football midfielder
• William Bradford Bishop (born 1936), American former U.S. foreign service officer accused of killing his family
• William Blum (1933–2018), American author and foreign policy critic
• William Bonin (1947–1996), American serial killer and rapist
• William Bonner, Brazilian newscaster and journalist
• William H. Bonney, alias of American outlaw Billy the Kid
• William Bordy, American politician
• William Bradford (1946–2008), American murderer
• William M. Branham (1909–1965), American Christian preacher
• William A. Brewer III, American trial lawyer
• William Bridgeo, American politician
• William Bushamuka (born 1996), Congolese tennis player
• William Byron (racing driver), American NASCAR driver
• William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925), American orator and politician
• William Burke and William Hare (Burke 1792–1829; Hare unknown), Irish serial killers
• W. Sterling Cary (1927–2021), American Christian minister
• William Cassels (1858–1925), British Anglican missionary bishop
• William T. Cefalu, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association.
• Bill Clinton (born 1946), 42nd president of the United States
• William Cooper (1943–2001), American writer, radio host, and political activist
• William A. Conant (1816–1909), American merchant, politician, and railroad agent
• William Craft (1824–1900), American abolitionist and fugitive
• William Edward Crews (1932–2024), American politician
• William Crosfield (1838–1909), British politician
• William Dar (born 1953), Filipino horticulturist and government administrator
• Peduru Hewage William de Silva (1908–1988), Sri Lankan Sinhala Marxist politician
• William Herschel (1738–1822), German-born British Astronomer
• William De Vecchis (born 1971), Italian politician
• William DeVizia (born 1969), American actor
• William "Jack" Dempsey (1895–1983), Irish Native-American boxer and World Heavyweight Champion
• William J. Donovan (1883–1959), American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat
• William Dowell (1885–1949), Wales dual-code international rugby footballer
• William Duckworth (1943–2012), American composer, author, educator and internet pioneer
• William S. Edings (1857–1927), justice of the Territorial Supreme Court of Hawaii
• William Edward Rose (1813–1893), hotelier and state senator
• William Lukens Elkins (1832–1903), American businessman, inventor and art collector
• William N. Ethridge (1912–1971), chief justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
• Gilberto William Fabbro (born 1977), Brazilian football attacking midfielder
• William Faulkner (1897–1962), American writer
• William R. Federici (1917–2009), chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court
• William H. Folland (c. 1878–1941), associate justice of the Utah Supreme Court
• William Fox (1879-1952), founder of Fox Film Corporation
• W. A. Fry (1872–1944), Canadian sport administrator and newspaper publisher
• William de Asevedo Furtado (born 1995), Brazilian football right-back
• Bill Gates (born 1955), American businessman and philanthropist
• William Glasser (1925–2013), American psychiatrist
• William A. Goff (1929–2019), judge of the United States Tax Court
• William Gold (born 1996), British Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and musician known as Wilbur Soot
• William Gopallawa (1896–1981), last Governor-General of Ceylon, first President of Sri Lanka
• W. G. Grace (1848–1915), British cricketer
• William Greiner (born 1957), American photographer and painter
• William Grigahcine (born 1986), French musician professionally known as DJ Snake
• William Gulick (1814–1904), American physician and politician
• William "Yamyam" Gucong (born 1993), Filipino actor and comedian
• William Talbot Handy (1894–1983), American Methodist minister
• William Talbot Handy, Jr. (1924–1998), American civil rights activist and United Methodist bishop
• W. G. Hardy (1895–1979), Canadian professor, writer and ice hockey administrator
• William Hartnell (1908–1975), British actor
• William Randolph Hearst Sr. (1863–1951), American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician
• William Randolph Hearst Jr., (1908–1993), American businessman and newspaper publisher; son of William Randolph Hearst Sr.
• William Heinecke (born 1949), American-born Thai businessman
• Bill Hicks (1961–1994), American stand-up comedian
• William Higinbotham (1910-1994), American physicist
• William Holden (1918–1981), American actor
• William Hurt (1950–2022), American actor
• William M. Ireland (died 1891), American co-founder of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry
• William Ivens (1878–1957) Canadian religious and political figure
• William H. Jacoby (1841–1905), American photographer
• João William Alves de Jesus, (born 1996), Brazilian football defender
• William Katt (born 1951), American actor
• William Kempster (1914–1977), British artist
• William Kempster (mason) (1651–1717), English stonemason
• William Kunnecke (disappeared 1919), American fugitive
• William Lai (born 1959), Taiwanese politician
• William LeMassena (1916–1993), American actor
• William LeMessurier (1926–2007), American structural engineer
• William L. Leverette (1913–2003), American World War II flying ace
• William Lindstedt, (fl. 2022), American politician
• William Michael Lynn (born 1958), American academic
• William MacDonald (1924–2015), English serial killer
• William Bandara Makuloluwa (1922–1984), Sri Lankan musicologist, author, and director
• William Francis Mannix (died 1920), author and forger
• William P. Marontate (1919–1943), American World War II flying ace
• William King McAlister (1850–1923), justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court
• William K. McAllister (1818–1888), justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois
• William David McCalden (1951–1990), British far-right activist
• William McKenna (politician) (born 1946), American politician
• William McKenna (actor), Australian actor
• William McKinley (1843–1901), 25th president of the United States
• William McMahon (1908–1988), 20th prime minister of Australia
• William McNamara (born 1965), American actor
• William Ephraim Mikell (1868–1944), American legal scholar and lawyer
• William Millward (1822–1871), American politician
• William Alexander Milne, Scottish-Australian photographer
• William Ntoso, Ghanaian member of parliament
• William Nylander (born 1996), Swedish ice hockey winger
• William (footballer, born 1968), full name William César de Oliveira, Brazilian football midfielder
• William Onyeabor (1946–2017), Nigerian funk musician
• Will Ospreay (born 1993), English professional wrestler
• William Parente (1949–2009), New York real estate attorney
• William Pepper (1843–1898), American physician and Provost of the University of Pennsylvania
• Galappatti Kankanange William Perera (1884–1956), Sri Lankan lawyer, educator, diplomat
• William Phipps (1922–2018), American actor and singer, best known for performing the voice of Prince Charming from Disney's Cinderella
• William Pellen, Australian game designer
• William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham or William Pitt the Elder (1708–1778), British statesman and prime minister
• William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806), British statesman and prime minister
• William Poole (1821–1855), also known as Bill the Butcher, a gang leader in New York city
• William Popper (1874–1963), American Orientalist and professor
• William H. Quealy (1913–1993), judge of the United States Tax Court
• Don William Rajapatirana (fl. 1930s–1960s), Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 1959 to 1967
• William Rawle (1759–1836), United States Attorney for Pennsylvania
• William Redmond (died 1980), American murder victim
• Will Rogers (1879–1935) American humorous social commentator
• William Ronckendorff (1812–1891), United States Navy officer
• William Arthur Conceição dos Santos (born 1982), Brazilian football striker
• Toby Sexsmith (William Raymond; 1885–1943), Canadian politician and ice hockey administrator
• William Russell (also known as Russell Enoch, 1924–2024), English actor
• William Ruto, 5th and current President of Kenya
• William August Schulze, German-American rocket scientist and Operation Paperclip hire
• William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet, playwright and actor
• William Shatner (born 1931), Canadian actor
• William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General
• William Crapon Sibley (1832–1902), American business executive
• William José Assis Silva (1933–2024), Brazilian footballer
• William E. Simon (1927–2000), 63rd United States Secretary of the Treasury
• William Sobey (1927–1989), Canadian businessman
• William South (1866–1938), photographer and inventor
• William Júnior Salles de Lima Souza (born 1983), Brazilian football striker
• William Gerald Strongman (1936–2021), Canadian politician
• William Cooper Talley (1831–1903), American politician
• William Howard Taft (1857–1930), 27th president of the United States (1909–1913)
• William Taggart (1733–1798), justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
• W. F. Taylor (1877–1945), founding president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
• William Tebeau (1925–2013), engineer and first African-American man to graduate from Oregon State University
• William Tennekoon, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 1967 to 1971
• William Thoresson (1932–2026), Swedish gymnast
• William Yan Thorley (born 2002), Hong Kong marathon swimmer
• William Alfred Tilleke (1860–1917), Ceylon-born Siamese lawyer, entrepreneur and aristocrat
• William To (born 1979), Hong Kong sprinter
• William Sansom Vaux (1811–1882), American mineralogist
• William Warren Vernon (1834–1919), British noble and scholar
• William Villeger (born 2000), French badminton player
• William Wei (born 1987), Taiwanese singer-songwriter
• William Wilberforce (1759–1833), British politician, philanthropist and abolitionist
• William Wilson (born 2001), Australian footballer
• William Wordsworth (1770–1850), English poet
• William Worth (1745–1808), American Baptist minister
• Bill Wurtz (born 1989), American musician, songwriter, music producer, voice actor, video editor, and animator
• William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), Irish poet
• William Zabka (born 1965), American actor

Fictional characters

• William "Will", a character in Veronica Roth's Divergent
• William, a flying eyeball in The Amazing World of Gumball
• William, a non-playable Mii opponent in the Wii series
• Sir William, Rapunzel's husband in Chris Colfer's The Land of Stories
• William Afton, the major antagonist in the Five Nights at Freddy's game, book and movie franchise
• William Baker (nicknamed "Flint Marko"), also known as Sandman from Marvel Comics
• William Birkin, in the Resident Evil game franchise
• B.J. Blazkowicz is the main character in most of the Wolfenstein video game series.
• William "Bill" Bracken from Castle
• William Brown, the main character of the children's book series Just William by Richmal Crompton
• William "Will" Byers, from Stranger Things
• William "Will" Turner, Pirates of the Caribbean
• William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, Pirates of the Caribbean
• William "Will" Colbert, a guest star in NBC sitcom Friends, played by Brad Pitt
• William Collins, a character in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
• William "Will" Darnell, a character in Christine
• William "Bill" Denbrough, main protagonist in Stephen King's novel It
• William Ellis, a survivor in the video game Identity V
• Will Graham, in Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon, the film adaptations Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002), and the television series Hannibal (2013–2015)
• William "Billy" Hargrove, from Stranger Things
• William Herondale, one of the main characters in the young adult book series The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
• William Sherlock Scott Holmes, from the biography novel about the titular detective Sherlock Holmes ' by William S. Baring Gould
• William Kane, main character in High Noon
• William Kaplan from Marvel comics
• William "Billy" Loomis, main villain in Scream
• William "Will" McKenzie, from The Inbetweeners
• Billy Mitchell, a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders
• William Murdoch, a main protagonist in the Canadian television series Murdoch Mysteries
• William "Billy" Nolan, one of the main antagonists in Stephen King's Carrie and its adaptations
• William "Bill" Overbeck, one of the main playable protagonists in Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2
• William Riker, first officer on the Enterprise-D in the Star Trek franchise
• William "Bill" Sikes, one of the main antagonists in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist
• William Solace, head healer and son of Apollo in Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus
• William Somerset, main character in Se7en, played by Morgan Freeman
• William Suarez, one of the main characters of Philippine television series Widows' Web, portrayed by Bernard Palanca
• William T. Spears, a reaper in the manga Black Butler by Yana Toboso
• William Thacker, main character in Notting Hill, played by Hugh Grant
• William Toughbutt, a character in Ninjago
• William Traynor, in Me Before You and its film adaptation
• William Anthonio Zeppeli, a major character in Phantom Blood, the first part of the Japanese manga series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
• William Maryblood a character in the anime Faraway Paladin

See also

• List of people named Liam