List of people named William
William is a masculine given name which may refer to:
Nobility
British
- William Longsword, second duke of Normandy
- William I of England, a.k.a. William the Conqueror or William the Bastard
- William II of England, a.k.a. William Rufus
- 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 III of England, also William II of Scotland, a.k.a. William of Orange
- William IV of the United Kingdom, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover
- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, formerly Prince William of Wales, son of Charles, Prince 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 I of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 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
- William IV, Prince of Orange, first hereditary Stadtholder of all the United Provinces
- William V, Prince of Orange, last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic
French
- William of Gellone, Count of Toulouse, canonized a saint
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 II of Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea
- William of Werle, Lord of Werle-Güstrow
- William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- William, Prince of Albania, from March to September 1914
Pre-modern era commoners
British
- William , bishop of what later became the Diocese of the Isles
- 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 , Roman Catholic bishop in Scotland
- William of Ramsey, English monk and hagiographer
- William , 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 Poet, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language
French
- William of Poitiers, Norman chronicler, chaplain to William the Conqueror
- William de St-Calais, Norman abbot, Bishop of Durham
- William , 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 , Margrave of the March of Pannonia, part of the Carolingian Empire
- William , 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
- William "Jock" Alves, Rhodesian physician and politician
- William Ayache, French footballer and manager
- Bill Beagan, Canadian ice hockey administrator
- William Bell, several people
- William Bradford Bishop, American former U.S. foreign service officer accused of killing his family
- William Bonin, American serial killer, robber, and rapist
- William Brown, several people
- William Jennings Bryan, American orator and politician
- William Burke and William Hare, Irish serial killers
- Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States
- William Cooper, American writer, radio host, and political activist
- William Crosfield, British politician
- William "Jack" Dempsey, Irish Native-American boxer and World Heavyweight Champion
- William J. Donovan, American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat
- William Douglas
- William Faulkner, American writer
- W. A. Fry, Canadian sport administrator and newspaper publisher
- Bill Gates, American business magnate, investor, author, philanthropist, humanitarian and programmer
- William Gay, multiple people
- William Glasser, American psychiatrist
- W. G. Hardy, Canadian professor, writer and ice hockey administrator
- William Harrison
- William Randolph Hearst Sr., American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician
- William Holden, American actor
- William Lee
- William L. Leverette, American flying ace during World War II
- William Long
- William P. Marontate, American Marine flying ace during World War II
- William McKinley, 25th president of the United States
- William Ephraim Mikell, American Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- 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
- Toby Sexsmith, Canadian politician and ice hockey administrator
- William Shakespeare, English poet, playwright and actor
- William Shatner, Canadian actor
- William Shaw
- William Smith
- William Howard Taft, 27th president of the United States and tenth chief justice of the United States
- William Wegman
- William White
- William Wilberforce, British politician, philanthropist and abolitionist
- William Wood
- William Woods
- William Wordsworth, English poet
- William Wright
- W. B. Yeats, Irish poet