List of people named William
William is a masculine given name which may refer to:
 |
Nobility
British
- William Longsword (r. 927–942), second duke of Normandy
- William I of England (1027–1087), a.k.a. William the Conqueror or William the Bastard
- William II of England (1056–1100), a.k.a. William Rufus
- 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 III of England (1650–1702), also William II of Scotland, a.k.a. William of Orange
- William IV of the United Kingdom (1765–1837), King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover
- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (born 1982), formerly Prince William of Wales, son of Charles, Prince 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 I of the Netherlands (1772–1843), Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 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
- William IV, Prince of Orange (1711–1751), first hereditary Stadtholder of all the United Provinces
- William V, Prince of Orange (1748–1806), last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic
French
- William of Gellone (c.755–814), Count of Toulouse, canonized a saint
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 II of Villehardouin (died 1278), Prince of Achaea
- William of Werle (died 1436/94-1436), Lord of Werle-Güstrow
- William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1852–1912)
- William, Prince of Albania (1876–1945), from March to September 1914
Pre-modern era commoners
British
- William (bishop of the Isles) (died 1095), bishop of what later became the Diocese of the Isles
- 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 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 (1564–1616), English Poet, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language
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
- William "Jock" Alves (c. 1909–1979), Rhodesian physician and politician
- William Ayache (born 1961), French footballer and manager
- Bill Beagan (born 1937), Canadian ice hockey administrator
- William Bell (disambiguation), several people
- William Bradford Bishop (born 1936), American former U.S. foreign service officer accused of killing his family
- William Bonin (1947-1996), American serial killer, robber, and rapist
- William Brown (disambiguation), several people
- William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925), American orator and politician
- William Burke and William Hare (Burke 1792-1829; Hare unknown), Irish serial killers
- Bill Clinton (born 1946), 42nd president of the United States
- William Cooper (1943–2001), American writer, radio host, and political activist
- William Crosfield (1838–1909), British politician
- 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 Douglas (disambiguation)
- William Faulkner (1897–1962), American writer
- W. A. Fry (1872–1944), Canadian sport administrator and newspaper publisher
- Bill Gates (born 1955), American business magnate, investor, author, philanthropist, humanitarian and programmer
- William Gay (disambiguation), multiple people
- William Glasser (1925–2013), American psychiatrist
- W. G. Hardy (1895–1979), Canadian professor, writer and ice hockey administrator
- William Harrison (disambiguation)
- William Randolph Hearst Sr. (1863–1951), American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician
- William Holden (1918–1981), American actor
- William Lee (disambiguation)
- William L. Leverette (1913–2003), American flying ace during World War II
- William Long (disambiguation)
- William P. Marontate (1919–1943), American Marine flying ace during World War II
- William McKinley (1843–1901), 25th president of the United States
- William Ephraim Mikell (1868–1944), American Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- William North (disambiguation), multiple people
- 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 Rice, multiple people
- Toby Sexsmith (William Raymond; 1885–1943), Canadian politician and ice hockey administrator
- William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet, playwright and actor
- William Shatner (born 1931), Canadian actor
- William Shaw (disambiguation)
- William Smith (disambiguation)
- William Howard Taft (1857–1930), 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and tenth chief justice of the United States
- William Wegman (disambiguation)
- William White (disambiguation)
- William Wilberforce (1759–1833), British politician, philanthropist and abolitionist
- William Wood (disambiguation)
- William Woods (disambiguation)
- William Wordsworth (1770–1850), English poet
- William Wright (disambiguation)
- W. B. Yeats (1865–1939), Irish poet