Namesakes
American Presidents:
4 presidents
William Henry Harrison 1841 
William McKinley 1897-1901
William Howard Taft 1909-1913
Bill Clinton (a.k.a. William) 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 the Elder 1766-1768
William Petty 1782-1783
William Cavendish-Bentinck 1783; 1807-1809
William Pitt the Younger 1783-1801; 1804-1806
William Grenville 1806-1807
William Lamb 1834; 1835-1841
William Ewart Gladstone 1868-1874; 1880-1885; 1886; 1892-1894
David Cameron (a.k.a. William) 2010-2016
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
Fictional Characters from Television:
6 characters
Bill Horton (a.k.a. William) 1965 Days of Our Lives
Jack Deveraux (a.k.a. William) 1965 Days of Our Lives
Mike Horton (a.k.a. William) 1965 Days of Our Lives
Will Horton (a.k.a. William) 1965 Days of Our Lives
Will McCorkle (a.k.a. William) 1994 Party of Five
William Bell 2008 Fringe
French Presidents and Prime Ministers:
1 prime minister
(prime minister) William Waddington 1879
King William of Holland 1247-1256
Hall-of-Famers:
6 basketball, 1 football
(football) William R. "Link" Lyman 1964
(basketball) Bill Russell (a.k.a. William) 1974
(basketball) William "Skinny" Johnson 1976
(basketball) Bill Bradley (a.k.a. William) 1982
(basketball) Billy Cunningham (a.k.a. William) 1986
(basketball) William "Pop" Gates 1989
(basketball) William Davidson 2008
Harry Potter Characters:
1 character
William Weasley
Nobel Prize Winners:
8 chemistry, 7 economics, 6 physics, 4 medicine, 3 literature, 1 peace
(peace) Randal Cremer (a.k.a. William) 1903
(physics) John Strutt, Lord Rayleigh (a.k.a. William) 1904
(chemistry) William Ramsay 1904
(chemistry) Theodore William Richards 1914
(physics) William Henry Bragg 1915
(physics) William Lawrence Bragg 1915
(chemistry) Francis William Aston 1922
(literature) William Butler Yeats 1923
(medicine) William P. Murphy 1934
(chemistry) William Giauque 1949
(literature) William Faulkner 1949
(physics) William Shockley 1956
(chemistry) William Howard Stein 1972
(chemistry) William Lipscomb 1976
(economics) Theodore Schultz (a.k.a. William) 1979
(economics) Arthur Lewis (a.k.a. William) 1979
(physics) William Alfred Fowler 1983
(literature) William Golding 1983
(economics) William F. Sharpe 1990
(economics) Robert Fogel (a.k.a. William) 1993
(economics) William Vickrey 1996
(physics) William Daniel Phillips 1997
(chemistry) William Standish Knowles 2001
(economics) Clive Granger (a.k.a. William) 2003
(medicine) Jack W. Szostak (a.k.a. William) 2009
(chemistry) William E. Moerner 2014
(medicine) William C. Campbell 2015
(economics) William Nordhaus 2018
(medicine) William Kaelin Jr. 2019
Notable Activists and Revolutionaries:
3 activists
(activist) William Wallace ?-1305
(activist) William Apess 1798-1839
(activist) D'Arcy McNickle (a.k.a. William) 1904-1977
Notable Actors and Actresses:
27 actors, 2 actor/comedians, 1 actress, 1 comedian, 1 entertainer/actor
Bransby Williams (a.k.a. William) 1870-1961
Will Rogers (a.k.a. William) 1879-1935
W. C. Fields (a.k.a. William) 1880-1946
Billie Burke (a.k.a. William) 1884-1970
Chips Rafferty (a.k.a. William) 1909-1971
Dabbs Greer (a.k.a. William) 1917-2007
William Holden 1918-1981
William Windom 1923-2012
William Daniels 1927-
Bill Daily (a.k.a. William) 1927-2018
Adam West (a.k.a. William) 1928-2017
Thane Bettany (a.k.a. William) 1929-
William Shatner 1931-
Will Sampson (a.k.a. William) 1933-1987
James Stacy (a.k.a. William) 1936-2016
Corin Redgrave (a.k.a. William) 1939-2010
Scott Wilson (a.k.a. William) 1942-2018
Dwight Schultz (a.k.a. William) 1947-
Anson Williams (a.k.a. William) 1949-
William H. Macy 1950-
William Hurt 1950-
William Sadler 1950-
William Petersen 1953-
James Remar (a.k.a. William) 1953-
Bill Paxton (a.k.a. William) 1955-2017
William Forsythe 1955-
William Fichtner 1956-
William Baldwin 1963-
William Shockley 1963-
Will Keen (a.k.a. William) 1970-
Seann William Scott 1976-
William Moseley 1987-
Notable Artists:
3 painters
William Blake 1757-1827
J. M. W. Turner (a.k.a. William) 1775-1851
William-Adolphe Bouguereau 1825-1905
Notable Athletes:
8 rugby, 7 soccer, 5 basketball, 4 football, 1 baseball, 1 cricket, 1 handball, 1 tennis
(football) William R. "Link" Lyman 1898-1972
(basketball) William "Skinny" Johnson 1911-1980
(basketball) William "Pop" Gates 1917-1999
(basketball) Bill Russell (a.k.a. William) 1934-
(cricket) Bill Playle (a.k.a. William) 1938-2019
(soccer) Billy McNeill (a.k.a. William) 1940-2019
(basketball) Billy Cunningham (a.k.a. William) 1943-
(basketball) Bill Bradley (a.k.a. William) 1943-
(rugby) Steve Hansen (a.k.a. William) 1959-
(soccer) Liam Miller (a.k.a. William) 1981-2018
(rugby) Dan Carter (a.k.a. William) 1982-
(rugby) Wyatt Crockett (a.k.a. William) 1983-
(soccer) Alex Wilkinson (a.k.a. William) 1984-
(football) William Hayes 1985-
(rugby) James Hook (a.k.a. William) 1985-
(rugby) Sonny Bill Williams (a.k.a. William) 1985-
(baseball) Dexter Fowler (a.k.a. William) 1986-
(soccer) Edwin Hernández (a.k.a. William) 1986-
(rugby) Will Genia (a.k.a. William) 1988-
(handball) William Accambray 1988-
(tennis) John Peers (a.k.a. William) 1988-
(football) Tress Way (a.k.a. William) 1990-
(rugby) Gareth Anscombe (a.k.a. William) 1991-
(soccer) Will Grigg (a.k.a. William) 1991-
(football) Houston Bates (a.k.a. William) 1991-
(soccer) William Carvalho 1992-
(rugby) Will Skelton (a.k.a. William) 1992-
(soccer) Cian Harries (a.k.a. William) 1997-
Notable Businesspeople:
9 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
Barron Hilton (a.k.a. William) 1927-
Bill Gates (a.k.a. William) 1955-
Notable Evildoers:
1 criminal, 1 pirate
William Kidd 1645-1701
Billy the Kid (a.k.a. William) 1859-1881
Notable Explorers and Adventurers:
9 explorers
Willem Barentsz (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
William Edward Parry 1790-1855
William Herndon 1813-1857
William Grant Stairs 1863-1892
Bill Tilman (a.k.a. William) 1898-1977
Notable Filmmakers:
2 directors, 1 director/producer/screenwriter
William Wyler 1902-1981
William Friedkin 1935-
Paul W. S. Anderson (a.k.a. William) 1965-
Notable Musicians:
7 musicians, 2 composers
Edward Elgar (a.k.a. William) 1857-1934 classical
William Grant Still 1895-1978
John Coltrane (a.k.a. William) 1926-1967 jazz
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. 1940-
Billy Gibbons (a.k.a. William) 1949-
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins 1951- funk
Billy Idol (a.k.a. William) 1955- rock
Axl Rose (a.k.a. William) 1962- rock
William "DJ Snake" Grigahcine 1986- electronic dance music
Notable Philosophers and Thinkers:
1 philosopher, 1 psychologist
William of Ockham c. 1287-1347
William James 1842-1910
Notable Politicians and Statespeople:
2 politicians
William A. Clark Sr. 1839-1925
William Randolph Hearst 1863-1951
Notable Scientists and Inventors:
3 astronomers, 2 physicists, 1 inventor, 1 physicist/chemist
William Herschel 1738-1822
William Hyde Wollaston 1766-1828
Henry Fox Talbot (a.k.a. William) 1800-1877
William Thomson 1824-1907
William Huggins 1824-1910
William Henry Pickering 1858-1938
Stephen Hawking (a.k.a. William) 1942-2018
Notable Writers:
9 authors, 3 poets, 1 author/essayist, 1 playwright/author, 1 poet/playwright
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
William Blake 1757-1827
William Wordsworth 1770-1850
Wilhelm Grimm (a.k.a. William) 1786-1859
William Apess 1798-1839
William Butler Yeats 1865-1939
W. Somerset Maugham (a.k.a. William) 1874-1965
William Faulkner 1897-1962
D'Arcy McNickle (a.k.a. William) 1904-1977
William Golding 1911-1993
William Styron 1925-2006
William Wharton 1925-2008
William Trevor 1928-2016
Jack Ketchum (a.k.a. William) 1946-2018
William Boyd 1952-
Olympic Medalists:
50 gold, 22 bronze, 17 silver, 3 bronze/gold, 3 gold/silver, 1 bronze/silver, 1 gold/bronze, 1 silver/bronze, 1 silver/gold
(gold) William Hoyt 1896 pole vault
(bronze) William Burgess 1900 water polo
(silver) William Holland 1900 400 m
(gold) William Lister 1900 water polo
(silver) William Clark 1904 archery - team round
(bronze/gold) William Thompson 1904 archery - American round; archery - team round; archery - York round
(gold) Louis W. Maxson (a.k.a. William) 1904 archery - team round
(gold) William Dickey 1904 diving - plunge for distance
(bronze) William Merz 1904 athletics triathlon
(silver) Wesley Coe (a.k.a. William) 1904 shot put
(bronze) William R. Orthwein 1904 swimming - 4x50 yard freestyle relay
(silver) William Tuttle 1904 swimming - 4x50 yard freestyle relay
(silver) Frank Verner (a.k.a. William) 1904 1500 m; 4 mile team
(bronze/silver) William Hogenson 1904 100 m; 200 m; 60 m
(gold) William Dod 1908 archery - York round
(silver) William Robinson 1908 swimming - 200 m breaststroke
(gold) William Hamilton 1908 medley relay
(bronze) George Gaidzik (a.k.a. William) 1908 diving - springboard
(gold) William Coales 1908 3 mile team
(gold/bronze) William Foster 1908; 1912 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(bronze) William Halpenny 1912 pole vault
(bronze) William Cottrill 1912 3000 m team
(silver) Christian Gitsham (a.k.a. William) 1912 marathon
(bronze) George Hutson (a.k.a. William) 1912 3000 m team; 5000 m
(bronze) William Moore 1912 3000 m team
(bronze/gold) William Applegarth 1912 200 m; 4x100 m relay
(gold) William Henry Dean 1920 water polo
(gold) William Peacock 1920 water polo
(bronze/gold) William Petersson 1920 4x100 m relay; long jump
(bronze) William Harris 1920 swimming - 100 m freestyle
(silver) William Herald 1920 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(gold) Nick Winter (a.k.a. William) 1924 triple jump
(gold) Beattie Ramsay (a.k.a. William) 1924 ice hockey
(silver) William Seagrove 1920; 1924 3000 m team
(gold) William Stevenson 1924 4x400 m relay
(silver) Wilfred Nichol (a.k.a. William) 1924 4x100 m relay
(bronze) William Kirschbaum 1924 swimming - 200 m breaststroke
(gold) DeHart Hubbard (a.k.a. William) 1924 long jump
(bronze) William Cox 1924 3000 m team
(bronze) Cyril Gill (a.k.a. William) 1928 4x100 m relay
(gold) Sabin Carr (a.k.a. William) 1928 pole vault
(silver) William Droegemueller 1928 pole vault
(gold) Tommy Green (a.k.a. William) 1932 50 km walk
(gold) Ivan Fuqua (a.k.a. William) 1932 4x400 m relay
(gold) Bill Carr (a.k.a. William) 1932 400 m; 4x400 m relay
(gold) Bill Miller (a.k.a. William) 1932 pole vault
(gold) Bill Wheatley (a.k.a. William) 1936 basketball
(gold) William Roberts 1936 4x400 m relay
(gold) Ken Carpenter (a.k.a. William) 1936 discus throw
(gold) Ran Laurie (a.k.a. William) 1948 rowing
(gold) Lew Beck (a.k.a. William) 1948 basketball
(gold) Willie Steele (a.k.a. William) 1948 long jump
(gold) William Smith Jr. 1948 swimming - 400 m freestyle; swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(gold) Bill Porter (a.k.a. William) 1948 110 m hurdles
(gold/silver) Andy Stanfield (a.k.a. William) 1952; 1956 200 m; 4x100 m relay
(gold) William Smith 1952 freestyle wrestling
(gold) Bill Lienhard (a.k.a. William) 1952 basketball
(silver) Bill Miller (a.k.a. William) 1952 javelin throw
(gold) Chris Brasher (a.k.a. William) 1956 3000 m steeplechase
(gold) Bill Hougland (a.k.a. William) 1952; 1956 basketball
(gold/silver) Parry O'Brien (a.k.a. William) 1952; 1956; 1960 shot put
(gold) William Evans 1956 basketball
(gold) Jesse Mashburn (a.k.a. William) 1956 4x400 m relay
(gold) William Albert Yorzyk Jr. 1956 swimming - 200 m butterfly
(gold) Tom Courtney (a.k.a. William) 1956 4x400 m relay; 800 m
(gold) Bill Russell (a.k.a. William) 1956 basketball
(gold/silver) William Woolsey 1952; 1956 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(silver/gold) Bill Nieder (a.k.a. William) 1956; 1960 shot put
(silver) Willie May (a.k.a. William) 1960 110 m hurdles
(gold) William Mulliken 1960 swimming - 200 m breaststroke
(gold) Paul Hait (a.k.a. William) 1960 swimming - 4x100 m medley relay
(bronze) Bill Dellinger (a.k.a. William) 1964 5000 m
(gold) Billy Mills (a.k.a. William) 1964 10000 m
(silver) Bill Crothers (a.k.a. William) 1964 800 m
(gold) Bill Bradley (a.k.a. William) 1964 basketball
(gold) William Craig 1964 swimming - 4x100 m medley relay
(gold) Richard Roth (a.k.a. William) 1964 swimming - 400 m medley
(gold) Bill Toomey (a.k.a. William) 1968 decathlon
(bronze) Steven Barnett (a.k.a. William) 1972 water polo
(bronze) Bill Schmidt (a.k.a. William) 1972 javelin throw
(bronze) William Mahony 1972 swimming - 4x100 m medley relay
(silver) Ed Ratleff (a.k.a. William) 1972 basketball
(gold) Caitlyn Jenner (a.k.a. William) 1976 decathlon
(gold) Quinn Buckner (a.k.a. William) 1976 basketball
(bronze) Bill Forrester (a.k.a. William) 1976 swimming - 200 m butterfly
(silver) Robert Hackett (a.k.a. William) 1976 swimming - 1500 m freestyle
(gold) Buzz Schneider (a.k.a. William) 1980 ice hockey
(gold) Joe Kleine (a.k.a. William) 1984 basketball
(bronze) Willie Anderson (a.k.a. William) 1988 basketball
(gold) William Tanui 1992 800 m
(bronze) William Mutwol 1992 3000 m steeplechase
(bronze) Brent Hilliard (a.k.a. William) 1992 volleyball
(gold) William Kirby 2000 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(silver/bronze) William Fox-Pitt 2004; 2008; 2012 equestrian
(bronze) Dexter Fowler (a.k.a. William) 2008 baseball
(gold) Reid Priddy (a.k.a. William) 2009 volleyball
(gold) William Accambray 2012 handball
(bronze) William Satch 2012 rowing
(silver) Loui Eriksson (a.k.a. William) 2014 ice hockey
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 Leaders:
6 prime ministers
Prime Minister William Fox 1856; 1861-1862; 1869-1872; 1873 New Zealand
Prime Minister William Hall-Jones 1906 New Zealand
Prime Minister William Massey 1912-1925 New Zealand
Prime Minister George Forbes (a.k.a. William) 1930-1935 New Zealand
Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante (a.k.a. William) 1962-1967 Jamaica
Prime Minister Bill English (a.k.a. William) 2016-2017 New Zealand
Other Religious Leaders:
2 leaders
Billy Graham (a.k.a. William) Southern Baptist Convention
Howard W. Hunter (a.k.a. William) 1994-1995 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Other Royalty:
3 kings, 2 princes, 1 grand duke
Willem I of the Netherlands (a.k.a. William) 1815-1840 Netherlands
Willem II of the Netherlands (a.k.a. William) 1840-1849 Netherlands
Willem, Prince of Orange (a.k.a. William) 1849-1879 Netherlands
Willem III of the Netherlands (a.k.a. William) 1849-1890 Netherlands
William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1905-1912 Luxembourg
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 Maurus Scott (a.k.a. William) ?-1612
Blessed William Howard 1614-1680
Blessed William Ireland 1636-1679
Blessed John Plessington (a.k.a. William) 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 William I the Lion 1165-1214
King William III of Orange 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
Title Characters:
3 songs, 2 books, 1 tv show
(book) William Green Hill 1908 Miss Minerva and William Green Hill
(book) William 1922 Just William
(song) Billy the Kid (a.k.a. William) 1973 The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
(song) William 1984 William, It Was Really Nothing
(tv show) William 1994 William's Wish Wellingtons
(song) William 2009 William's Last Words