Namesakes for WILLIAM:
American Presidents:
4 presidents
William Henry Harrison 1841 
William McKinley 1897-1901
William Howard Taft 1909-1913
William Clinton 1993-2001
Australian Prime Ministers:
3 prime ministers
Billy Hughes (a.k.a. William) 1915-1923
Arthur Fadden (a.k.a. William) 1941
William McMahon 1971-1972
British Prime Ministers:
9 prime ministers
William Cavendish 1756-1757
William Pitt 1766-1768
William Petty-FitzMaurice 1782-1783
William Pitt the Younger 1783-1801; 1804-1806
William Grenville 1806-1807
William Cavendish-Bentinck 1783; 1807-1809
William Lamb 1834; 1835-1841
William Ewart Gladstone 1868-1874; 1880-1885; 1886; 1892-1894
David Cameron (a.k.a. William) 2010-
Canadian Prime Ministers:
1 prime minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King 1921-1926; 1926-1930; 1935-1948
Emmy Award Winners:
2 actors
(actor) William Windom 1970 My World and Welcome to It
(actor) William Daniels 1985; 1986 St. Elsewhere
English and British Kings and Queens:
4 kings
King William I the Conqueror 1066-1087
King William II Rufus 1087-1100
King William III of Orange 1689-1702
King William IV 1830-1837
Fictional Characters from Books:
3 characters, 1 villain
William Price 1814 Mansfield Park
William Elliot 1818 Persuasion
Bill Sikes (a.k.a. William) 1838 Oliver Twist
William Dobbin 1847 Vanity Fair
German Kings and Holy Roman Emperors:
1 king
King William of Holland 1247-1256
Hall-of-Famers:
5 basketball
(basketball) William Russell 1974
(basketball) William C. Johnson 1976
(basketball) William J. Cunningham 1986
(basketball) William Gates 1989
(basketball) William Davidson 2008
Harry Potter Characters:
1 character
William Weasley
Nobel Prize Winners:
7 chemistry, 5 physics, 3 literature, 2 economics, 1 medicine, 1 peace
(peace) William Randal Cremer 1903
(physics) John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh 1904
(chemistry) Sir William Ramsay 1904
(chemistry) Theodore William Richards 1914
(physics) William Bragg 1915
(chemistry) Francis William Aston 1922
(literature) William Butler Yeats 1923
(medicine) William Parry Murphy 1934
(chemistry) William Francis Giauque 1949
(literature) William Faulkner 1949
(physics) William B. Shockley 1956
(chemistry) William H. Stein 1972
(chemistry) William N. Lipscomb 1976
(physics) William A. Fowler 1983
(literature) William Golding 1983
(economics) William F. Sharpe 1990
(economics) William Vickrey 1996
(physics) William D. Phillips 1997
(chemistry) William S. Knowles 2001
Notable Actors and Actresses:
11 actors, 1 comedian/actor
William Holden 1918-1981
William Windom 1923-2012
William Daniels 1927-
William Shatner 1931-
William H. Macy 1950-
William Hurt 1950-
William Sadler 1950-
William Fichtner 1956-
William Baldwin 1963-
William Shockley 1963-
Seann William Scott 1976-
William Moseley 1987-
Notable Artists:
1 painter
William Blake 1757-1827
Notable Businesspeople:
8 businesspersons
William Backhouse Astor Sr. 1792-1875
William Backhouse Astor Jr. 1829-1892
William A. Clark Sr. 1839-1925
William C. Durant 1861-1947
William Randolph Hearst 1863-1951
William S. Harley 1880-1943
William Rosenberg 1916-2002
Bill Gates (a.k.a. William) 1955-
Notable Explorers and Adventurers:
9 explorers
Willem Barents (a.k.a. William) 1550-1597
Willem Janszoon (a.k.a. William) 1570-1630
William Baffin 1584-1622
William Clark 1770-1838
William Hovell 1786-1875
Sir William Edward Parry 1790-1855
William Herndon 1813-1857
William Grant Stairs 1863-1892
William Tilman 1898-1977
Notable Filmmakers:
2 directors, 1 director/screenwriter/producer
William Wyler 1902-1981
William Friedkin 1935-
Paul W. S. Anderson (a.k.a. William) 1965-
Notable Musicians:
2 composers, 1 musician
Edward William Elgar 1857-1934
William Grant Still 1895-1978
John William Coltrane 1926-1967
Notable Philosophers and Thinkers:
1 philosopher, 1 psychologist
William of Ockham 1285-1347
William James 1842-1910
Notable Politicians and Statesmen:
2 politicians
William A. Clark Sr. 1839-1925
William Randolph Hearst 1863-1951
Notable Professional Athletes:
4 basketball
(basketball) William J. Cunningham
(basketball) William Gates
(basketball) William C. Johnson
(basketball) William Russell 1934-
Notable Writers:
3 authors, 1 poet, 1 poet/playwright
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
William Wordsworth 1770-1850
Wilhelm Grimm (a.k.a. William) 1786-1859
William Faulkner 1897-1962
William Golding 1911-1993
Oscar Award Winners:
2 actors, 2 directors
(director) William Wyler 1942; 1946; 1959 Mrs. Miniver; The Best Years of Our Lives; Ben-Hur
(actor) William Holden 1953 Stalag 17
(director) William Friedkin 1971 The French Connection
(actor) William Hurt 1985 Kiss of the Spider Woman
Other Royalty:
3 kings, 1 prince
King Willem I (a.k.a. William) 1815-1840 Netherlands
King Willem II (a.k.a. William) 1840-1849 Netherlands
King Willem III (a.k.a. William) 1849-1890 Netherlands
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge 1982- United Kingdom
Pulitzer Award Winners:
6 winners
William Faulkner 1954; 1963 A Fable; The Reivers
William Styron 1968 The Confessions of Nat Turner
John Cheever (a.k.a. William) 1979 The Stories of John Cheever
William Wharton 1980 Birdy
William Maxwell 1981 So Long, See You Tomorrow
William Kennedy 1984 Ironweed
Saints:
40 blessed, 12 saints
Saint William of Gellone ?-812
Saint William of Volpiano 962-1031
Saint William Firmatus 1026-1103
Saint William of Penacorada ?-1042
Saint William ?-1067
Saint William of Vercelli 1085-1142
Blessed William of Hirsau ?-1091
Saint William of Eskhill 1125-1203
Saint William Breteuil ?-1130
Saint William of Bourges 1149-1209
Saint William ?-1154
Blessed William of Maleval ?-1157
Saint William Pinchon 1175-1234
Saint William of Pontoise ?-1192
Blessed William Tempier ?-1197
Blessed William of Fenoli ?-1205
Blessed William of Brussels ?-1237
Blessed William Arnaud ?-1242
Blessed Guillaume of Toulouse (a.k.a. William) 1297-1369
Blessed William Exmew ?-1535
Blessed William Greenwood ?-1537
Blessed William Horne ?-1540
Blessed William Carter 1548-1584
Blessed Guillaume Saultemouche (a.k.a. William) 1555-1593
Blessed William Freeman 1558-1595
Blessed William Thomson 1560-1586
Blessed William Harrington 1566-1594
Blessed William Ward 1568-1641
Blessed William Southerne 1579-1618
Blessed William Filby ?-1582
Blessed William Lacey ?-1582
Blessed William Hart ?-1583
Blessed William Marsden ?-1586
Blessed William Dean ?-1588
Blessed William Gunter ?-1588
Blessed William Hartley ?-1588
Blessed William Way ?-1588
Blessed William Spenser ?-1589
Blessed William Pike ?-1591
Blessed William Patenson ?-1592
Blessed William Davies ?-1593
Blessed William Andleby ?-1597
Blessed William Richardson ?-1603
Blessed William Browne ?-1605
Blessed William Tirry 1608-1654
Blessed William Scott ?-1612
Blessed William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford 1614-1680
Blessed William Ireland 1636-1679
Blessed William John Plessington 1637-1679
Blessed William Barrow ?-1679
Blessed Guillaume-Joseph Chaminade (a.k.a. William) 1761-1850
Blessed Guillaume Répin (a.k.a. William) 1793-1794
Scottish Kings and Queens:
2 kings
King Uilleam I the Lion (a.k.a. William) 1165-1214
King Uilleam II (a.k.a. William) 1689-1702
Shakespearian Characters:
10 characters
William As You Like It
Sir William Brandon Richard III
Sir William Catesby Richard III
Sir William Glasdale Henry VI (1)
Sir William Lucy Henry VI (1)
William Page The Merry Wives of Windsor
Sir William Sands Henry VIII
William Stafford Henry VI (2)
Sir William Stanley Henry VI (3)
Lord William Willoughby Richard II
