This is a list of notable people named William.

Royalty and nobility

Ordered chronologically

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 (–1214), a.k.a. William the Lion William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146/7–1219), Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman

Cameroonian William I of Bimbia, 19th-century king of the Isubu people William II of Bimbia (died 1882), king of the Isubu people

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 (–812 or 814), Count of Toulouse, canonized a saint William Longsword (), second Duke of Normandy William XI, Count of Auvergne 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

Other William I, 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 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, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (disambiguation) 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 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 (), 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 (), Old French poet, writer of the Roman de Fergus William the Clerk of Normandy (), Norman cleric and Old French poet William of Auxerre (died 1231), French theologian

Other William (March of Pannonia) (died 871), Margrave in 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), multiple people William Aiton (disambiguation), multiple people William Andrews (disambiguation), multiple people William Arnaud (disambiguation), multiple people William Arnett (disambiguation), multiple people William Arnold (disambiguation), multiple people William Arnott (disambiguation), multiple people William Ash (disambiguation), multiple people William Barnett (disambiguation), multiple people William Barr (disambiguation), multiple people William Barry (disambiguation), multiple people William Bartram (disambiguation), multiple people William Beckett (disambiguation), multiple people William Bell (disambiguation), multiple people William Boyd (disambiguation), multiple people William Bridges (disambiguation), multiple people William Brydges (disambiguation), multiple people William Byrd (disambiguation), multiple people William Campbell (disambiguation), multiple people William Copeland (disambiguation), multiple people William Davis (disambiguation), multiple people William Douglas (disambiguation), multiple people William Duane (disambiguation), multiple people William Fuller (disambiguation), multiple people William Garnett (disambiguation), multiple people William Gay (disambiguation), multiple people William Hamilton (disambiguation), multiple people William Handy (disambiguation), multiple people William Harrison (disambiguation), multiple people William Hearst (disambiguation), multiple people William Hurst (disambiguation), multiple people William Jones (disambiguation), multiple people William Kelley (disambiguation), multiple people William King (disambiguation), multiple people William Lee (disambiguation), multiple people William Llewellyn (disambiguation), multiple people William Long (disambiguation), multiple people William Miller (disambiguation), multiple people William Monypenny (disambiguation), multiple people William Moses (disambiguation), multiple people William Mullins (disambiguation), multiple people William Price (disambiguation), multiple people William Prince (disambiguation), multiple people William Rice (disambiguation), multiple people William Richardson (disambiguation), multiple people William Rush (disambiguation), multiple people William Shaw (disambiguation), multiple people William Simpson (disambiguation), multiple people William Smith (disambiguation), multiple people William Swift (disambiguation), multiple people William Wallace (disambiguation), multiple people William Wales (disambiguation), multiple people William Wegman (disambiguation), multiple people William White (disambiguation), multiple people William Wolf (disambiguation), multiple people William Wolfe (disambiguation), multiple people William Wolff (disambiguation), multiple people William Wood (disambiguation), multiple people William Woods (disambiguation), multiple people William Wright (disambiguation), multiple people William Wyatt (disambiguation), multiple people

Others

William Henry Aldis (1871–1948), English Protestant missionary Lt. William "Vasilios" "Bill" George Aliapoulos (1917–2008), American-born Greek engineer William "Jock" Alves ( 1909–1979), Rhodesian physician and politician William Amaral de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian football manager and former centre-back William Edward Atkinson (1946–2006), American Augustinian priest and educator William Ayache (born 1961), French footballer and manager William Ball (suffragist) (born 1862), British workers union member who supported women's suffrage William F. Barker (1823–1895), American merchant and politician 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), Luxembourgish football midfielder William Bradford Bishop (born 1936), U.S. foreign service officer William Blum (1933–2018), American author and foreign policy critic 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 Bordy, American politician 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 Buttress (1827-1866), English cricketer 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 William Campbell-Taylor (born 1965), Anglican priest 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 Edward Crews (1932–2024), American politician 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