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

For additional kings named William, see King William (disambiguation).

For additional princes named William, see Prince William (disambiguation).

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 (c. 1142–1214), 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 (c. 755–812 or 814), Count of Toulouse, canonized a saint
• William Longsword (r. 927–942), second Duke of Normandy
• William XI, Count of Auvergne ^{[ broken anchor ]}
• 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; r. 1905–1912)
• 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 (fl. 1150–1200), 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 (fl. c. 1200–c. 1240), Old French poet, writer of the Roman de Fergus
• William the Clerk of Normandy (fl. 1210/1211–1227/1238), Norman cleric and Old French poet
• William of Auxerre (died 1231), French theologian

Other

• William (marcha orientalis) (died 871), Margrave of the March of Pannonia, part of 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 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 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 (c. 1909–1979), Rhodesian physician and politician
• William Amaral de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian football manager and former centre-back
• 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), retired Luxembourgish football midfielder
• William Bradford Bishop (born 1936), American former U.S. foreign service officer accused of killing his family
• 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 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 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 José de Assis Filho (born 1933), Brazilian football defender
• William H. Folland (c. 1878–1941), associate justice of the Utah Supreme Court
• 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 "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 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 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 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 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 Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet, playwright and actor
• William Ruto, 5th and current President of Kenya
• William August Schulze, German-American rocket scientist and Operation Paperclip hire
• William Shatner (born 1931), Canadian actor
• William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General
• William Crapon Sibley (1832–1902), American business executive
• William E. Simon (1927–2000), 63rd United States Secretary of the Treasury
• 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 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 Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective by William S. Baring Gould
• William Kane, main character in High Noon
• William Kaplan from Marvel comics
• William "Billy" Loomis, main villain in Scream
• 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