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
British
- William the Conqueror First Norman King of England, Duke of Normandy
- William II of England King of England
- William III of England King of England, Scotland and Ireland, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel
- William IV King of the United Kingdom and Hanover
- William I of Scotland, a.k.a. William the Lion
- William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman
- William IX, Count of Poitiers, first son of Henry II of England
- William, Prince of Wales, elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales
Dutch
- William I, Count of Holland, Count of Holland
- William II of Holland, also King of Germany
- William I, Prince of Orange, a.k.a. William the Silent
- William II, Prince of Orange, stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands
- William III of Orange, also William III of England and William II of Scotland
- William IV, Prince of Orange, first hereditary Stadtholder of all the United Provinces
- William I of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- William V, Prince of Orange, last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic
- William II of the Netherlands, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg
- William III of the Netherlands, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg
French
- William of Gellone, Count of Toulouse, canonized a saint
- William Longsword, second Duke of Normandy
- William XI, Count of Auvergne
- William XII, Count of Auvergne, Count of Auvergne from 1325 to 1332
German
- William I, German Emperor,, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia
- Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia
Sicilian
- William I of Sicily, a.k.a. William the Bad or William the Wicked
- William II of Sicily, a.k.a. William the Good
- William III of Sicily, 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, king of the Isubu people
Other
- William I (disambiguation), multiple royals and nobles
- William II, multiple royals and nobles
- * William II of Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea
- William III, multiple royals and nobles
- William IV (disambiguation), multiple royals and nobles
- * William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 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, Lord of Werle-Güstrow
- William, Prince of Albania, from March to September 1914
Pre-modern era commoners
British
- William (bishop of the Isles), bishop of what later became the Diocese of the Isles
- William Aiton (disambiguation), several people
- William de Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury
- William of Malmesbury, English historian and monk
- William of Tyre, Archbishop of Tyre, chronicler of the Crusades
- William of Norwich, saint and martyr
- William of York, Archbishop of York and saint
- William (bishop of Moray), Roman Catholic bishop in Scotland
- William the Trouvère, English Anglo-Norman poet and translator
- William of Ramsey, English monk and hagiographer
- William (bishop of Dunblane), Tironensian abbot and bishop in the Kingdom of Scotland
- William Wallace, Scottish general and one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence
- William of Ockham, English friar and philosopher, originator of Occam's Razor
- William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford
- William Caxton, English merchant, diplomat and writer, thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England
- William Shakespeare, English playwright, poet, and actor. Widely regarded as the most influential English writer of all time.
French
- William of Poitiers, Norman chronicler, chaplain to William the Conqueror
- William de St-Calais, Norman abbot, Bishop of Durham
- William (bishop of Orange), took part in the First Crusade
- William of Champeaux, French philosopher and theologian
- William of Conches, French scholastic philosopher, tutor of Henry II of England
- William of Donjeon, 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, French theologian
Other
- William (March of Pannonia), Margrave in the Carolingian Empire
- William (archbishop of Mainz), German bishop, son of Emperor Otto the Great
- William of St-Thierry, theologian and mystic, abbot of St. Thierry
- William of Moerbeke, 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 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, English Protestant missionary
- Lt. William "Vasilios" "Bill" George Aliapoulos, American-born Greek engineer and 1st Lieutenant platoon leader of the 406th Engineer Combat Company
- William "Jock" Alves, Rhodesian physician and politician
- William Amaral de Andrade, Brazilian football manager and former centre-back
- William Edward Atkinson, American Augustinian priest and educator
- William Ayache, French footballer and manager
- William Ball (suffragist), British workers union member who supported women's suffrage
- William Barnes, American musician and singer-songwriter known professionally as Will Toledo
- Bill Beagan, Canadian ice hockey administrator
- William Beausire, British-Chilean commercial engineer
- William Sperry Beinecke, American philanthropist and businessman
- William Bianchini, Luxembourgish football midfielder
- William Bradford Bishop, American former U.S. foreign service officer accused of killing his family
- William Blum, American author and foreign policy critic
- William Bonin, American serial killer and rapist
- William Bonner, Brazilian newscaster and journalist
- William H. Bonney, alias of American outlaw Billy the Kid
- William Bradford, American murderer
- William M. Branham, American Christian preacher
- William A. Brewer III, American trial lawyer
- William Bridgeo, American politician
- William Bushamuka, Congolese tennis player
- William Byron (racing driver), American NASCAR driver
- William Jennings Bryan, American orator and politician
- William Burke and William Hare, Irish serial killers
- W. Sterling Cary, American Christian minister
- William Cassels, British Anglican missionary bishop
- William T. Cefalu, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association.
- Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States
- William Cooper, American writer, radio host, and political activist
- William A. Conant, American merchant, politician, and railroad agent
- William Craft, American abolitionist and fugitive
- William Edward Crews, American politician
- William Crosfield, British politician
- William Dar, Filipino horticulturist and government administrator
- Peduru Hewage William de Silva, Sri Lankan Sinhala Marxist politician
- William Herschel, German-born British Astronomer
- William De Vecchis, Italian politician
- William DeVizia, American actor
- William "Jack" Dempsey, Irish Native-American boxer and World Heavyweight Champion
- William J. Donovan, American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat
- William Dowell, Wales dual-code international rugby footballer
- William Duckworth, American composer, author, educator and internet pioneer
- William S. Edings, justice of the Territorial Supreme Court of Hawaii
- William Edward Rose, hotelier and state senator
- William Lukens Elkins, American businessman, inventor and art collector
- William N. Ethridge, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
- Gilberto William Fabbro, Brazilian football attacking midfielder
- William Faulkner, American writer
- William R. Federici, chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court
- William H. Folland, associate justice of the Utah Supreme Court
- William Fox, founder of Fox Film Corporation
- W. A. Fry, Canadian sport administrator and newspaper publisher
- William de Asevedo Furtado, Brazilian football right-back
- Bill Gates, American businessman and philanthropist
- William Glasser, American psychiatrist
- William A. Goff, judge of the United States Tax Court
- William Gold, British Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and musician known as Wilbur Soot
- William Gopallawa, last Governor-General of Ceylon, first President of Sri Lanka
- W. G. Grace, British cricketer
- William Greiner, American photographer and painter
- William Grigahcine, French musician professionally known as DJ Snake
- William "Yamyam" Gucong, Filipino actor and comedian
- William Talbot Handy, American Methodist minister
- William Talbot Handy, Jr., American civil rights activist and United Methodist bishop
- W. G. Hardy, Canadian professor, writer and ice hockey administrator
- William Hartnell, British actor
- William Randolph Hearst Sr., American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician
- William Randolph Hearst Jr.,, American businessman and newspaper publisher; son of William Randolph Hearst Sr.
- William Heinecke, American-born Thai businessman
- Bill Hicks, American stand-up comedian
- William Higinbotham, American physicist
- William Holden, American actor
- William Hurt, American actor
- William M. Ireland, American co-founder of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry
- William Ivens Canadian religious and political figure
- William H. Jacoby, American photographer
- João William Alves de Jesus,, Brazilian football defender
- William Katt, American actor
- William Kempster, British artist
- William Kempster (mason), English stonemason
- William Kunnecke, American fugitive
- William Lai, Taiwanese politician
- William LeMassena, American actor
- William LeMessurier, American structural engineer
- William L. Leverette, American World War II flying ace
- William Lindstedt,, American politician
- William Michael Lynn, American academic
- William MacDonald, English serial killer
- William Bandara Makuloluwa, Sri Lankan musicologist, author, and director
- William Francis Mannix, author and forger
- William P. Marontate, American World War II flying ace
- William King McAlister, justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court
- William K. McAllister, justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois
- William McKenna (politician), American politician
- William McKenna (actor), Australian actor
- William McKinley, 25th president of the United States
- William McMahon, 20th prime minister of Australia
- William McNamara, American actor
- William Ephraim Mikell, American legal scholar and lawyer
- William Millward, American politician
- William Alexander Milne, Scottish-Australian photographer
- William Ntoso, Ghanaian member of parliament
- William Nylander, Swedish ice hockey winger
- William (footballer, born 1968), full name William César de Oliveira, Brazilian football midfielder
- William Onyeabor, Nigerian funk musician
- Will Ospreay, English professional wrestler
- William Parente, New York real estate attorney
- William Pepper, American physician and Provost of the University of Pennsylvania
- Galappatti Kankanange William Perera, Sri Lankan lawyer, educator, diplomat
- William Phipps, 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, British statesman and prime minister
- William Pitt the Younger, British statesman and prime minister
- William Poole, also known as Bill the Butcher, a gang leader in New York city
- William H. Quealy, judge of the United States Tax Court
- Don William Rajapatirana, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 1959 to 1967
- William Rawle, United States Attorney for Pennsylvania
- William Redmond, American murder victim
- Will Rogers American humorous social commentator
- William Ronckendorff, United States Navy officer
- William Arthur Conceição dos Santos, Brazilian football striker
- Toby Sexsmith, Canadian politician and ice hockey administrator
- William Russell, English actor
- William Ruto, 5th and current President of Kenya
- William August Schulze, German-American rocket scientist and Operation Paperclip hire
- William Shakespeare, English poet, playwright and actor
- William Shatner, Canadian actor
- William Tecumseh Sherman, American Civil War General
- William Crapon Sibley, American business executive
- William José Assis Silva, Brazilian footballer
- William E. Simon, 63rd United States Secretary of the Treasury
- William Sobey, Canadian businessman
- William South, photographer and inventor
- William Júnior Salles de Lima Souza, Brazilian football striker
- William Gerald Strongman, Canadian politician
- William Cooper Talley, American politician
- William Howard Taft, 27th president of the United States
- William Taggart, justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
- W. F. Taylor, founding president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
- William Tebeau, 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, Hong Kong marathon swimmer
- William Alfred Tilleke, Ceylon-born Siamese lawyer, entrepreneur and aristocrat
- William To, Hong Kong sprinter
- William Sansom Vaux, American mineralogist
- William Warren Vernon, British noble and scholar
- William Villeger, French badminton player
- William Wei, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
- William Wilberforce, British politician, philanthropist and abolitionist
- William Wilson, Australian footballer
- William Wordsworth, English poet
- William Worth, American Baptist minister
- Bill Wurtz, American musician, songwriter, music producer, voice actor, video editor, and animator
- William Butler Yeats, Irish poet
- William Zabka, 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, 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 and Red Dragon, and the television series Hannibal
- 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
- 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