List of people named William

William is a masculine given name which may refer to:

Fictional[]

William Afton, a major antagonist in the fictional Five Nights at Freddy's game franchise
William Birkin, a character in the fictional Resident Evil game franchise
William T. Riker, first officer on the Enterprise-D in the fictional Star Trek film franchise
William T. Spears, a reaper in the manga Black Butler by Yana Toboso
William Herondale one of the main characters in the popular young adult book series The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
William Shakespeare, a fictional character in the musical Something Rotten, named after renowned writer William Shakespeare.

Nobility[]

Ordered chronologically

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 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 (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[]

Ordered chronologically

British[]

William (bishop of the Isles) (died 1095), bishop of what later became the Diocese of the Isles
William Aiton (disambiguation) list of 3 people with the same name and nationality
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 playwright, poet and actor

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[]

Ordered alphabetically

William "Jock" Alves (c. 1909–1979), Rhodesian physician and politician
Peduru Hewage William de Silva (1908-1988), Sri Lankan Sinhala Marxist politician
William Adams (disambiguation)
William Ayache (born 1961), French footballer and manager
Bill Beagan (born 1937), Canadian ice hockey administrator
William Ball (suffragist) (born 1862), British workers union member who supported women's suffrage
William Bell (disambiguation)
William Bradford Bishop (born 1936), American former U.S. foreign service officer accused of killing his family
William Bonin (1947–1996), American serial killer and rapist
William Bradford (1948–2008), American murderer
William Branham, Christian preacher
William Brown (disambiguation)
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
W. Sterling Cary (1927–2021), American Christian minister
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 Dar (born 1953), Filipino horticulturist and government administrator
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 Duane (disambiguation)
William Lukens Elkins (1832-1903), American businessman, inventor and art collector
William Faulkner (1897–1962), American writer
W. A. Fry (1872–1944), Canadian sport administrator and newspaper publisher
Bill Gates (born 1955), American businessman and philanthropist
William Gay (disambiguation)
William Glasser (1925–2013), American psychiatrist
William Gopallawa (1896-1981), last Governor-General of Ceylon, first President of Sri Lanka
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 Heinecke (born 1949), American-born Thai businessman
William Holden (1918–1981), American actor
William M. Ireland (? - 1891), One of the founders of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry
(1919-1995), American attorney
William Lee (disambiguation)
William LeMassena (1916–1993), American actor
William LeMessurier (1926–2007), American structural engineer
William L. Leverette (1913–2003), American World War II flying ace
William Long (disambiguation)
William MacDonald (1924–2015), English serial killer
William Bandara Makuloluwa (1922-1984), Sri Lankan musicologist, author, and director
William P. Marontate (1919–1943), American World War II flying ace
William McKinley (1843–1901), 25th president of the United States
William McMahon (1908–1988), 20th prime minister of Australia
William McNamara (born 1965), American actor
William Ephraim Mikell (1868–1944), American legal scholar and lawyer
William North (disambiguation)
Galappatti Kankanange William Perera (1884-1956), Sri Lankan lawyer, educator, diplomat
William Phipps (1922-2018), American actor and singer, best known for performing the voice of Prince Charming from Disney’s Cinderella
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
Don William Rajapatirana, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 1959-1967
William Rice (disambiguation)
William Richardson (disambiguation)
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)
W. F. Taylor (1877–1945), founding president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
William Tennekoon, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 1967-1971
William Alfred Tilleke (1860–1917), Ceylonese-born Siamese lawyer, entrepreneur and aristocrat
William Villeger (born 2000), French badminton player
William Wegman (disambiguation)
William Wei (born 1987), Taiwanese singer-songwriter
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)
William Wyatt (disambiguation)
W. B. Yeats (1865–1939), Irish poet
William Zabka (born 1965), American actor

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