William Adams
Appearance
William Adams may refer to:
Armed forces members
- William Adams (Royal Navy officer) (died 1748), captain of HMS Harwich in the Royal Navy
- William Adams (Royal Navy officer, born 1716) (1716–1763)
- William Adams (sailor) (1564–1620), English sailor and visitor to Japan (and later naturalized citizen and samurai of Japan)
- William E. Adams (1939–1971), Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient
- William Wirt Adams (1819–1888), American Confederate Army general
Musicians
- Billy Adams, banjo player, a former member of Dexys Midnight Runners
- will.i.am (William James Adams, Jr., born 1975), musician, producer, and member of The Black Eyed Peas
- Willy Northpole (William Adams, born 1980), rapper signed to Ludacris' DTP Records
Politicians
- Acton Adams (William Acton Blakeway Adams, 1843–1924),New Zealand politician
- Billy Adams (William Herbert Adams, 1861–1954), Governor of Colorado
- William Adams (British Columbia politician) (1851–1936), rancher and politician in British Columbia, Canada
- William Adams (1752–1811), MP for Totnes
- William Adams (New Zealand politician) (1811–1884), New Zealand politician
- William E. Adams (New York) (1922–1983), New York politician
- William G. Adams (1923–2005), Canadian politician
- William Henry Adams (1809–1865), British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Boston 1857–1859 and Chief Justice of Hong Kong (1860 to 1865)
- William Taylor Adams (1822–1897), author & politician
- William Thomas Adams (1884–1949), British Member of Parliament for Hammersmith South, 1945–1949
- Willie Adams (born 1934), Canadian politician
Science, technology and philosophy
- William Adams (locomotive engineer) (1823–1904), British locomotive engineer
- William Adams (master) (1706/7–1789), English scholar
- William Adams (oculist) (1783–1827), English ophthalmic surgeon
- William Bridges Adams (1797–1872), British inventor, author & locomotive engineer
- William Grylls Adams (1836–1915), professor of natural philosophy
Sportspeople
- Bill Adams (American football) (born 1950), former Buffalo Bills offensive guard
- Bill Adams (American football coach), American college football coach
- Bill Adams (Australian footballer) (1900–1973), former VFL player and coach
- Bill Adams (footballer, born 1902) (1902–1963), former Southampton FC right half back
- Bill Adams (footballer, born 1921) (1921–1997), English footballer
- Bill Adams (ice hockey) (1897–1978), Canadian ice hockey player
- Billy Adams (footballer, born 1897) (1897–1945), footballer for Barrow and West Bromwich Albion
- Billy Adams (footballer, born 1919) (1919–1989), English footballer
- William Adams (cricketer) (1885–1957), English cricketer
- William Adams (footballer), footballer who played for Walsall and West Bromwich Albion
- Willie Adams (1910s pitcher) (1890–1937), American baseball player
- Willie Adams (1990s pitcher) (born 1972), American baseball player (Oakland Athletics)
- Willie Adams (American football) (born 1941), American football player
- Willie Adams (basketball), American basketball player
Writers
- William Adams (author) (1814–1848), English religious writer
- William Davenport Adams (1851–1904), English writer and journalist, son of W. H. D. Adams
- William Henry Davenport Adams (1828–1891), English writer and journalist
- William Y. Adams (born 1927), American author of Nubia: Corridor to Africa
- W. E. Adams (1832–1906), English radical and journalist
Others
- William Adams (haberdasher) (1585–1661), London haberdasher and founder of Adams' Grammar School in 1656
- William Adams (lawyer) (1772–1851), English lawyer notable for his part in negotiating settlements with the United States in the 1814/1815 period
- William Adams (minister) (1807–1880), United States religious leader and college president
- William Adams (potter) (c. 1746–1805), North Staffordshire potter, founded the Greengates Pottery
- William Bridges-Adams (1889–1965), British stage director
- William Drea Adams, president of Bucknell University, 1995–2000; president of Colby College, 2000–2014
- William Adams (mining engineer)
- William Forbes Adams (1833–1920), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton
See also
- Adams (surname)
- Bill Adam (born 1946), Scottish racing driver
- William Adam (disambiguation)