Namesakes
American Presidents:
4 presidents
William Henry Harrison 1841 
William McKinley 1897-1901
William Howard Taft 1909-1913
Bill Clinton 1993-2001
Australian Prime Ministers:
3 prime ministers
Billy Hughes 1915-1923
Arthur Fadden (middle name 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 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 (middle name William) 2010-2016
Canadian Prime Ministers:
1 prime minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King 1921-1926; 1926-1930; 1935-1948
Emmy Award Winners:
5 actors
(actor) Bill Cosby 1966; 1967; 1968 I Spy
(actor) William Windom 1970 My World and Welcome to It
(actor) Tom Selleck (middle name William) 1984 Magnum, P.I.
(actor) William Daniels 1985; 1986 St. Elsewhere
(actor) Bill Hader 2018; 2019 Barry
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:
5 characters, 2 heroes, 1 villain
William Price 1814 Mansfield Park
William Elliot 1818 Persuasion
Bill Sikes 1838 Oliver Twist
William Dobbin 1847 Vanity Fair
William Brown 1922 Just William
Billy Fisher 1959 Billy Liar
Jack Frost (a.k.a. William) 1984 Frost at Christmas
Bill Compton 2001 The Southern Vampire Mysteries
Fictional Characters from Movies:
1 hero
Will Turner 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean
Fictional Characters from Plays and Musicals:
2 characters
Willy Loman 1949 Death of a Salesman
Billy Fisher 1974 Billy
Fictional Characters from Song Titles:
2 characters
(character) William 1984 William, It Was Really Nothing
(character) William 2009 William's Last Words
Fictional Characters from Television:
27 characters, 1 hero
Bill Horton 1965 Days of Our Lives
Jack Deveraux (a.k.a. William) 1965 Days of Our Lives
Mike Horton (middle name William) 1965 Days of Our Lives
Will Horton 1965 Days of Our Lives
William Hodges 1968 Dad's Army
Bill Spencer Sr. 1987 The Bold and the Beautiful
Bill Spencer Jr. 1987 The Bold and the Beautiful
Liam Spencer 1987 The Bold and the Beautiful
Will Riker 1987 Star Trek: The Next Generation
Will Smith 1990 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Randy Taylor (middle name William) 1991 Home Improvement
Jack Frost (a.k.a. William) 1992 A Touch of Frost
Fox Mulder (middle name William) 1993 The X-Files
Will McCorkle 1994 Party of Five
William 1994 William's Wish Wellingtons
Bill Dauterive (a.k.a. William) 1997 King of the Hill
Billy Thomas 1997 Ally McBeal
Will Truman 1998 Will & Grace
Will Tippin 2001 Alias
William Rawls 2002 The Wire
Sam Winchester (middle name William) 2005 Supernatural
Will Pope 2005 The Closer
Bill Henrickson 2006 Big Love
Dell Parker (a.k.a. William) 2005; 2007 Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice
Bill Compton 2008 True Blood
William Bell 2008 Fringe
Will Gardner 2009 The Good Wife
Will Schuester 2009 Glee
French Presidents and Prime Ministers:
1 prime minister
(prime minister) William Waddington 1879
King William of Holland 1247-1256
Grammy Award Winners:
1 song of the year/record of the year/album of the year
(song of the year/record of the year/album of the year) Billy Joel 1979; 1980 Just the Way You Are; 52nd Street
Hall-of-Famers:
14 baseball, 14 football, 11 basketball, 11 ice hockey
(baseball) Candy Cummings (a.k.a. William) 1939
(baseball) Buck Ewing (a.k.a. William) 1939
(baseball) Willie Keeler 1939
(ice hockey) Hod Stuart (a.k.a. William) 1945
(ice hockey) Bill Cook 1952
(baseball) Harry Wright (a.k.a. William) 1953
(baseball) Bill Terry 1954
(baseball) Bill Dickey 1954
(ice hockey) Sprague Cleghorn (middle name William) 1958
(baseball) Billy Hamilton 1961
(ice hockey) Billy McGimsie 1962
(ice hockey) Riley Hern (a.k.a. William) 1962
(baseball) Bill McKechnie 1962
(football) William R. "Link" Lyman 1964
(ice hockey) Bill Durnan 1964
(ice hockey) Bill Mosienko 1965
(football) Bill Dudley 1966
(ice hockey) Bill Cowley 1968
(ice hockey) Bill Gadsby 1970
(baseball) Rube Marquard (middle name William) 1971
(football) Bill Hewitt 1971
(football) Bill George 1974
(basketball) Bill Russell 1974
(baseball) Judy Johnson (a.k.a. William) 1975
(baseball) Billy Herman 1975
(basketball) William "Skinny" Johnson 1976
(football) Bill Willis 1977
(basketball) Bill Bradley 1982
(football) Willie Brown 1984
(basketball) Billy Cunningham 1986
(basketball) William "Pop" Gates 1989
(football) Willie Wood 1989
(ice hockey) Bill Barber 1990
(football) Bill Walsh 1993
(ice hockey) Billy Smith 1993
(basketball) Bill Walton 1993
(baseball) Bill Foster 1996
(football) Billy Shaw 1999
(baseball) Bill Mazeroski 2001
(basketball) Bill Sharman 1975; 2004
(baseball) Billy Southworth 2008
(basketball) Bill Davidson 2008
(football) Willie Roaf 2012
(basketball) Bobby Leonard (a.k.a. William) 2014
(football) Ray Guy (a.k.a. William) 2014
(football) Bill Polian 2015
(basketball) Bill Fitch 2019
(football) Bill Cowher 2020
(football) Bill Nunn 2021
(basketball) Tony Parker (a.k.a. William) 2023
Harry Potter Characters:
1 character
Bill Weasley
Most Valuable Players:
4 winners
Bucky Walters (a.k.a. William) 1939 baseball
Bill Cowley 1941; 1943 ice hockey
Bill Russell 1958; 1961; 1962; 1963; 1965 basketball
Bill Walton 1978 basketball
New Zealand Prime Ministers:
5 prime ministers
William Fox 1856; 1861-1862; 1869-1872; 1873
William Hall-Jones 1906
William Massey 1912-1925
George Forbes (middle name William) 1930-1935
Bill English 2016-2017
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 (middle name 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 (middle name 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 (middle name William) 1993
(economics) William Vickrey 1996
(physics) William Daniel Phillips 1997
(chemistry) William Standish Knowles 2001
(economics) Clive Granger (middle name William) 2003
(medicine) Jack W. Szostak (middle name 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:
2 revolutionaries
(revolutionary) William Wallace c. 1270-1305
(revolutionary) Willem of Orange (a.k.a. William) 1533-1584
Notable Actors and Entertainers:
154 actors, 4 actor/comedians, 3 comedians, 2 comedian/actors, 2 presenters, 2 reality stars, 1 actor/entertainer, 1 entertainer, 1 youtuber
"Buffalo" Bill Cody 1846-1917
William Desmond Taylor 1872-1922
Will Rogers 1879-1935
King Baggot (a.k.a. William) 1879-1948
W. C. Fields (a.k.a. William) 1880-1946
True Boardman (a.k.a. William) 1882-1918
Billie Burke 1884-1970
Lionel Atwill (middle name William) 1885-1946
William Frawley 1887-1966
Raymond Hatton (middle name William) 1887-1971
Claude Rains (a.k.a. William) 1889-1967
Robert Armstrong (middle name William) 1890-1973
Wallace Reid (a.k.a. William) 1891-1923
William Demarest 1892-1983
William Powell 1892-1984
Gareth Hughes (a.k.a. William) 1894-1965
Warren William (middle name William) 1894-1948
Bud Abbott (a.k.a. William) 1897-1974
Lee Tracy (a.k.a. William) 1898-1968
Pat O'Brien (a.k.a. William) 1899-1983
Clark Gable (a.k.a. William) 1901-1960
Will Geer (a.k.a. William) 1902-1978
Brian Aherne (a.k.a. William) 1902-1986
Edgar Buchanan (a.k.a. William) 1903-1979
William Gargan 1905-1979
William Bendix 1906-1964
William Hartnell 1908-1975
Chips Rafferty (middle name William) 1909-1971
Leif Erickson (a.k.a. William) 1911-1986
William Lundigan 1914-1975
William Hopper 1915-1970
Dabbs Greer (middle name William) 1917-2007
Robert Sterling (a.k.a. William) 1917-2006
William Holden 1918-1981
Richard Farnsworth (middle name William) 1920-2000
Jack Elam (a.k.a. William) 1920-2003
Bill Travers 1922-1994
Darren McGavin (a.k.a. William) 1922-2006
William Schallert 1922-2016
William Windom 1923-2012
Bob Barker (middle name William) 1923-2023
Dennis Weaver (a.k.a. William) 1924-2006
Billy Barty (a.k.a. William) 1924-2000
Bill Hayes 1925-2024
Jerry Paris (a.k.a. William) 1925-1986
Johnny Carson (middle name William) 1925-2005
Fritz Weaver (middle name William) 1926-2016
Leslie Nielsen (middle name William) 1926-2010
William Daniels 1927-
Bill Daily 1927-2018
William Hickey 1927-1997
Stanley Baker (a.k.a. William) 1928-1976
Adam West (a.k.a. William) 1928-2017
Clu Gulager (a.k.a. William) 1928-2022
Ronnie Barker (middle name William) 1929-2005
William Shatner 1931-
Stephen Boyd (a.k.a. William) 1931-1977
William Smith 1933-2021
Wayne Rogers (a.k.a. William) 1933-2015
Will Sampson 1933-1987
Jeremy Brett (middle name William) 1933-1995
Bill Cobbs 1934-
James Stacy (middle name William) 1936-2016
William Gaunt 1937-
Billy Dee Williams (a.k.a. William) 1937-
Bill Cosby 1937-
James Fox (a.k.a. William) 1939-
Corin Redgrave (middle name William) 1939-2010
William Devane 1939-
William Lucking 1941-2021
Scott Wilson (a.k.a. William) 1942-2018
Billy Connolly 1942-
Peter Mayhew (middle name William) 1944-2019
G. W. Bailey (middle name William) 1944-
Tom Selleck (middle name William) 1945-
Bill Paterson 1945-
Pete Postlethwaite (middle name William) 1946-2011
Bill Smitrovich (a.k.a. William) 1947-
William Atherton 1947-
Dwight Schultz (a.k.a. William) 1947-
Ted Lange (middle name William) 1948-
Billy Crystal 1948-
Dave Thomas (middle name William) 1948-
Anson Williams (middle name William) 1949-
Caitlyn Jenner (a.k.a. William) 1949-
Bill Nighy 1949-
William H. Macy 1950-
William Hurt 1950-2022
Bill Irwin 1950-
William Sadler 1950-
Bill Murray 1950-
Jeff Conaway (middle name William) 1950-2011
William Russ 1950-
William Katt 1951-
Bill Moseley 1951-
Liam Neeson 1952-
William Petersen 1953-
Bill Nunn 1953-2016
Roger Allam (middle name William) 1953-
Bill Pullman 1953-
James Remar (a.k.a. William) 1953-
Will Patton 1954-
William Hope 1955-
Bill Paxton 1955-2017
William Forsythe 1955-
William Fichtner 1956-
Richard Burgi (middle name William) 1958-
Billy Campbell 1959-
Willie Aames (middle name William) 1960-
Billy Warlock (a.k.a. William) 1961-
William Baldwin 1963-
W. Earl Brown (a.k.a. William) 1963-
William Shockley 1963-
Brad Pitt (a.k.a. William) 1963-
Linus Roache (middle name William) 1964-
Willie Garson (a.k.a. William) 1964-2021
Todd Field (a.k.a. William) 1964-
James Nesbitt (a.k.a. William) 1965-
William McNamara 1965-
Peter Krause (middle name William) 1965-
William Zabka 1965-
Billy Zane 1966-
Billy Burke 1966-
Will Ferrell 1967-
Bill Burr 1968-
Billy Crudup 1968-
Julian McMahon (middle name William) 1968-
Billy Boyd 1968-
John DiMaggio (middle name William) 1968-
Naveen Andrews (middle name William) 1969-
Jon Huertas (middle name William) 1969-
Will Keen 1970-
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (middle name William) 1970-
Josh Hopkins (a.k.a. William) 1970-
Rupert Penry-Jones (middle name William) 1970-
Rob Corddry (middle name William) 1971-
Dylan Moran (middle name William) 1971-
Wil Wheaton 1972-
Paul Walker (middle name William) 1973-2013
Will Sasso 1975-
Will Friedle 1976-
Seann William Scott 1976-
Jerry Trainor (middle name William) 1977-
James Van Der Beek (middle name William) 1977-
Matthew Goode (middle name William) 1978-
Bill Hader 1978-
Will Estes (a.k.a. William) 1978-
Matthew Lawrence (middle name William) 1980-
William Levy 1980-
Jonas Armstrong (a.k.a. William) 1981-
Tom Hiddleston (middle name William) 1981-
Rupert Friend (middle name William) 1981-
Jason Dohring (middle name William) 1982-
Kyle Soller (middle name William) 1983-
Spencer Pratt (middle name William) 1983-
Joe Gilgun (middle name William) 1984-
Dane DeHaan (middle name William) c. 1985-
Billy Magnussen 1985-
Will Peltz 1986-
Will Sharpe 1986-
William Moseley 1987-
Beau Mirchoff (a.k.a. William) 1989-
Seán William "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin 1990-
Jeremy Irvine (middle name William) 1990-
Jonathan Lipnicki (middle name William) 1990-
Will Poulter 1993-
Connor Jessup (middle name William) 1994-
Owen Teague (middle name William) 1998-
Isaac Hempstead-Wright (middle name William) 1999-
Joe Locke (middle name William) 2003-
Notable Artists:
7 painters, 3 cartoonists, 1 artist, 1 game designer
William Hogarth 1697-1764
William Blake 1757-1827
J. M. W. Turner (middle name William) 1775-1851
William-Adolphe Bouguereau 1825-1905
William Holman Hunt 1827-1910
William Morris 1834-1896
John William Waterhouse 1849-1917
John William Godward 1861-1922
William Hanna 1910-2001
Will Eisner 1917-2005
Bill Watterson 1958-
Will Wright 1960-
Notable Athletes:
9 rugby, 6 ice hockey, 6 soccer, 5 basketball, 3 baseball, 2 boxing, 2 driving, 2 football, 2 tennis, 1 cricket, 1 golf, 1 handball, 1 track, 1 wrestling
(cricket) W. G. Grace (a.k.a. William) 1848-1915
(baseball) Willie Keeler 1872-1923
(ice hockey) Hod Stuart (a.k.a. William) 1879-1907
(tennis) Bill Tilden 1893-1953
(boxing) Jack Dempsey (a.k.a. William) 1895-1983
(ice hockey) Bill Cook 1896-1986
(baseball) Bill Dickey 1907-1993
(golf) Ben Hogan (a.k.a. William) 1912-1997
(ice hockey) Bill Durnan 1916-1972
(basketball) Bill Sharman 1926-2013
(ice hockey) Bill Gadsby 1927-2016
(basketball) Bill Russell 1934-2022
(baseball) Bill Mazeroski 1936-
(football) Willie Wood 1936-2020
(driving) Chris Bristow (middle name William) 1937-1960
(soccer) Billy McNeill 1940-2019
(basketball) Billy Cunningham 1943-
(basketball) Bill Bradley 1943-
(boxing) Joe Frazier (middle name William) 1944-2011
(track) Caitlyn Jenner (a.k.a. William) 1949-
(football) Ray Guy (a.k.a. William) 1949-2022
(ice hockey) Billy Smith 1950-
(ice hockey) Bill Barber 1952-
(basketball) Bill Walton 1952-
(rugby) Steve Hansen (middle name William) 1959-
(wrestling) Mark William "The Undertaker" Calaway 1965-
(soccer) Liam Miller (middle name William) 1981-2018
(rugby) Dan Carter (middle name William) 1982-
(rugby) Mike Phillips (a.k.a. William) 1982-
(rugby) Wyatt Crockett (middle name William) 1983-
(soccer) Alex Wilkinson (middle name William) 1984-
(rugby) James Hook (middle name William) 1985-
(rugby) Sonny Bill Williams 1985-
(soccer) Edwin Hernández (middle name William) 1986-
(rugby) Will Genia 1988-
(handball) William Accambray 1988-
(tennis) John Peers (middle name William) 1988-
(rugby) Gareth Anscombe (middle name William) 1991-
(driving) Will Stevens 1991-
(soccer) Will Grigg 1991-
(soccer) William Carvalho 1992-
(rugby) Will Skelton 1992-
Notable Businesspeople:
12 businesspersons
William Backhouse Astor Sr. 1792-1875
William Backhouse Astor Jr. 1829-1892
William A. Clark Sr. 1839-1925
Will Keith Kellogg 1860-1951
William C. Durant 1861-1947
William Randolph Hearst 1863-1951
William S. Harley 1880-1943
William E. Boeing 1881-1956
Bill Hewlett 1913-2001
William Rosenberg 1916-2002
Barron Hilton (a.k.a. William) 1927-2019
Bill Gates 1955-
Notable Evildoers:
1 criminal, 1 pirate
William Kidd 1645-1701
Billy "the Kid" Bonney 1859-1881
Notable Explorers and Adventurers:
8 explorers
Willem Barentsz (a.k.a. William) 1550-1597
William Adams 1564-1620
William Baffin 1584-1622
William Dampier 1651-1715
William Clark 1770-1838
William Hovell 1786-1875
William Edward Parry 1790-1855
Bill Tilman 1898-1977
Notable Filmmakers:
6 directors, 1 director/screenwriter, 1 screenwriter, 1 screenwriter/director
William Desmond Taylor 1872-1922
King Baggot (a.k.a. William) 1879-1948
William Wyler 1902-1981
William Hanna 1910-2001
William Peter Blatty 1928-2017
Ted Kotcheff (a.k.a. William) 1931-
William Friedkin 1935-2023
Todd Field (a.k.a. William) 1964-
Paul W. S. Anderson (middle name William) 1965-
Notable Journalists:
1 journalist, 1 photojournalist
(journalist) W. T. Stead (a.k.a. William) 1849-1912
(photojournalist) W. Eugene Smith (a.k.a. William) 1918-1978
Notable Military Figures:
2 admirals, 2 commanders, 1 general
William I the Conqueror c. 1028-1087
William Wallace c. 1270-1305
William Tecumseh Sherman 1820-1891
William D. Leahy 1875-1959
Chester W. Nimitz (middle name William) 1885-1966
Notable Musicians:
19 musicians, 7 singers, 2 composers
Edward Elgar (middle name William) 1857-1934
Willie "The Lion" Smith 1893-1973
William Grant Still 1895-1978
Willie Smith 1910-1967
Bill Monroe 1911-1996
Bill Haley 1925-1981
John Coltrane (middle name William) 1926-1967
"Little" Willie John 1937-1968
Bill Withers 1938-2020
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. 1940-
Billy Swan 1942-
Boz Scaggs (a.k.a. William) 1944-
Billy Preston 1946-2006
Dan McCafferty (a.k.a. William) 1946-2022
Pete Ham (middle name William) 1947-1975
Billy Joel 1949-
Billy Gibbons 1949-
William "Bootsy" Collins 1951-
Billy Idol (a.k.a. William) 1955-
Axl Rose (a.k.a. William) 1962-
"Bushwick" Bill 1966-2019
Billy Corgan 1967-
Fred Durst (a.k.a. William) 1970-
Liam Gallagher 1972-
Will.i.am 1975-
Will Champion 1978-
William "DJ Snake" Grigahcine 1986-
Louis Tomlinson (middle name William) 1991-
Notable Philosophers and Thinkers:
1 philosopher, 1 psychologist
William of Ockham c. 1287-1347
William James 1842-1910
Notable Politicians and Statespeople:
5 politicians
William R. King 1786-1853
William A. Wheeler 1819-1887
William A. Clark Sr. 1839-1925
William Randolph Hearst 1863-1951
Alben W. Barkley (middle name William) 1877-1956
Notable Scientists and Inventors:
10 physicists, 3 astronomers, 3 chemists, 2 inventors, 1 biologist, 1 chemist/physicist
William Gilbert 1544-1603
William Harvey 1578-1657
William Herschel 1738-1822
William Hyde Wollaston 1766-1828
Henry Fox Talbot (a.k.a. William) 1800-1877
William Rowan Hamilton 1805-1865
William Huggins 1824-1910
William Thomson 1824-1907
John Strutt, Lord Rayleigh (middle name William) 1842-1919
William Ramsay 1852-1916
William Henry Pickering 1858-1938
William Henry Bragg 1862-1942
Theodore William Richards 1868-1928
William G. Morgan 1870-1942
Francis William Aston 1877-1945
William Lawrence Bragg 1890-1971
William Shockley 1910-1989
William Alfred Fowler 1911-1995
Stephen Hawking (middle name William) 1942-2018
William Daniel Phillips 1948-
Notable Writers:
15 authors, 3 poets, 1 author/essayist, 1 author/playwright, 1 author/poet, 1 playwright/poet, 1 poet/author
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
William Blake 1757-1827
William Wordsworth 1770-1850
William Makepeace Thackeray 1811-1863
O. Henry (a.k.a. William) 1862-1910
William Butler Yeats 1865-1939
W. Somerset Maugham (a.k.a. William) 1874-1965
William Stanley Braithwaite 1878-1962
William Carlos Williams 1883-1963
William Faulkner 1897-1962
William Golding 1911-1993
John Cheever (middle name William) 1912-1982
William S. Burroughs 1914-1997
William Styron 1925-2006
William Wharton 1925-2008
William Peter Blatty 1928-2017
William Trevor 1928-2016
John Jakes (middle name William) 1932-2023
W. P. Kinsella (a.k.a. William) 1935-2016
Jack Ketchum (middle name William) 1946-2018
William Gibson 1948-
William Boyd 1952-
W. Bruce Cameron (a.k.a. William) 1960-
Olympic Medalists:
51 gold, 29 bronze, 24 silver, 4 gold/silver, 3 bronze/gold, 2 bronze/silver, 2 gold/bronze, 1 silver/gold
(gold) William Hoyt 1896 pole vault
(bronze) Bill Burgess 1900 water polo
(silver) Bill Holland 1900 400 m
(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 (middle name William) 1904 archery - team round
(gold) William Dickey 1904 diving - plunge for distance
(bronze) William Merz 1904 triathlon
(silver) Wesley Coe Jr (middle name William) 1904 shot put
(silver) Fred Englehardt (middle name William) 1904 triple jump
(gold) Frederick Schule (middle name William) 1904 110 m hurdles
(silver) John Grieb (middle name William) 1904 triathlon
(bronze) William R. Orthwein 1904 swimming - 4x50 yard freestyle relay
(silver) Bill Tuttle 1904 swimming - 4x50 yard freestyle relay
(silver) Frank Verner (a.k.a. William) 1904 1500 m; 4 mile team
(bronze) Emil Breitkreutz (middle name William) 1904 800 m
(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 (middle name William) 1908 diving - springboard
(gold) William Coales 1908 3 mile team
(bronze) William Halpenny 1912 pole vault
(bronze) Martin Hawkins (middle name William) 1912 110 m hurdles
(bronze) Joe Cottrill (a.k.a. William) 1912 3000 m team
(silver) Christian Gitsham (middle name William) 1912 marathon
(bronze) George Hutson (middle name William) 1912 3000 m team; 5000 m
(bronze) William Moore 1912 3000 m team
(bronze/gold) Willie Applegarth 1912 200 m; 4x100 m relay
(gold/bronze) William Foster 1908; 1912 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(gold) William Henry Dean 1920 water polo
(gold) William Peacock 1920 water polo
(silver) Earl Eby (middle name William) 1920 800 m
(bronze/gold) William Petersson 1920 4x100 m relay; long jump
(bronze) Bill Harris 1920 swimming - 100 m freestyle
(silver) William Herald 1920 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(bronze) Joie Ray (middle name William) 1924 3000 m team
(gold) Nick Winter (middle name William) 1924 triple jump
(gold) Beattie Ramsay (a.k.a. William) 1924 ice hockey
(silver) William Seagrove 1920; 1924 3000 m team
(gold/silver) Charley Paddock (middle name William) 1920; 1924 100 m; 4x100 m relay; 200 m
(gold) William Stevenson 1924 4x400 m relay
(silver) Wilfred Nichol (a.k.a. William) 1924 4x100 m relay
(bronze) Bill Kirschbaum 1924 swimming - 200 m breaststroke
(gold) DeHart Hubbard (a.k.a. William) 1924 long jump
(bronze) Bill Cox 1924 3000 m team
(bronze) Cyril Gill (middle name William) 1928 4x100 m relay
(gold) Sabin Carr (middle name William) 1928 pole vault
(silver) William Droegemueller 1928 pole vault
(gold) Tommy Green (middle name William) 1932 50 km walk
(gold) Ivan Fuqua (middle name William) 1932 4x400 m relay
(gold) Bill Carr 1932 400 m; 4x400 m relay
(gold) Bill Miller 1932 pole vault
(gold) Bill Wheatley 1936 basketball
(gold) Bill 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 (middle name William) 1948 basketball
(gold) Willie Steele 1948 long jump
(silver) Bill Bruce 1948 long jump
(gold) Bill Smith Jr. 1948 swimming - 400 m freestyle; swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(gold) Bill Porter 1948 110 m hurdles
(gold) Harrison "Bones" Dillard (a.k.a. William) 1948; 1952 100 m; 110 m hurdles; 4x100 m relay
(gold/silver) Andy Stanfield (middle name William) 1952; 1956 200 m; 4x100 m relay
(gold) William Smith 1952 freestyle wrestling
(gold) Bill Lienhard 1952 basketball
(silver) Bill Miller 1952 javelin throw
(gold) Chris Brasher (middle name William) 1956 3000 m steeplechase
(gold) Bill Hougland 1952; 1956 basketball
(gold) Billy Evans 1956 basketball
(gold) Jesse Mashburn (middle name William) 1956 4x400 m relay
(gold) William Albert Yorzyk Jr. 1956 swimming - 200 m butterfly
(gold) Tom Courtney (middle name William) 1956 4x400 m relay; 800 m
(gold) Bill Russell 1956 basketball
(gold/silver) Bill Woolsey 1952; 1956 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(bronze) Dave Power (middle name William) 1960 10000 m
(gold/silver) Parry O'Brien (a.k.a. William) 1952; 1956; 1960 shot put
(silver/gold) Bill Nieder 1956; 1960 shot put
(silver) Dave Sime (middle name William) 1960 100 m
(silver) Willie May 1960 110 m hurdles
(gold) Bill Mulliken 1960 swimming - 200 m breaststroke
(gold) Paul Hait (middle name William) 1960 swimming - 4x100 m medley relay
(bronze) Bill Dellinger 1964 5000 m
(bronze) Ron Clarke (middle name William) 1964 10000 m
(gold) Billy Mills 1964 10000 m
(silver) Bill Crothers 1964 800 m
(gold) Bill Bradley 1964 basketball
(gold) Bill Craig 1964 swimming - 4x100 m medley relay
(gold) Dick Roth (middle name William) 1964 swimming - 400 m medley
(gold) Bill Toomey 1968 decathlon
(bronze) Steven Barnett (middle name William) 1972 water polo
(bronze) Bill Schmidt 1972 javelin throw
(bronze) Bill Mahony 1972 swimming - 4x100 m medley relay
(silver) Ed Ratleff (a.k.a. William) 1972 basketball
(gold/bronze) Willie D. Davenport 1968; 1976 110 m hurdles
(gold) Caitlyn Jenner (a.k.a. William) 1976 decathlon
(gold) Quinn Buckner (a.k.a. William) 1976 basketball
(bronze) Bill Forrester 1976 swimming - 200 m butterfly
(silver) Bobby Hackett (middle name William) 1976 swimming - 1500 m freestyle
(gold) Buzz Schneider (a.k.a. William) 1980 ice hockey
(gold) Joe Kleine (middle name William) 1984 basketball
(bronze) Willie Anderson 1988 basketball
(gold) William Tanui 1992 800 m
(bronze) William Mutwol 1992 3000 m steeplechase
(bronze) Brent Hilliard (middle name William) 1992 volleyball
(bronze) Billy Koch 1996 baseball
(gold) Bill Kirby 2000 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(silver) John Steffensen (middle name William) 2004 4x400 m relay
(bronze) Dexter Fowler (a.k.a. William) 2008 baseball
(gold) Reid Priddy (a.k.a. William) 2009 volleyball
(bronze/silver) William Fox-Pitt 2004; 2008; 2012 equestrian
(gold) William Accambray 2012 handball
(bronze) William Satch 2012 rowing
(silver) Loui Eriksson (middle name William) 2014 ice hockey
(bronze) Matthew Dellavedova (middle name William) 2020 basketball
(silver) Petr Cornelie (middle name William) 2020 basketball
Oscar Award Winners:
4 actors, 2 directors
(actor) Clark Gable (a.k.a. William) 1935 It Happened One Night
(actor) William Holden 1954 Stalag 17
(director) William Wyler 1943; 1947; 1960 Mrs. Miniver; The Best Years of Our Lives; Ben-Hur
(director) William Friedkin 1972 The French Connection
(actor) William Hurt 1986 Kiss of the Spider Woman
(actor) Brad Pitt (a.k.a. William) 2020 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Other Leaders:
1 president, 1 prime minister
Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante (a.k.a. William) 1962-1967 Jamaica
President Benjamin Mkapa (middle name William) 1995-2005 Tanzania
Other Religious Leaders:
2 leaders
Billy Graham (a.k.a. William) Southern Baptist Convention
Howard W. Hunter (middle name William) 1994-1995 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Other Royalty:
14 princes, 7 kings, 1 emperor/king, 1 grand duke, 1 king/emperor
Willem of Orange (a.k.a. William) 1544-1584 Orange
Friedrich Wilhelm I (middle name William) 1713-1740 Prussia
August Wilhelm of Prussia (middle name William) 1722-1758 Prussia
August of Prussia (middle name William) 1779-1843 Prussia
Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia (middle name William) 1786-1797 Prussia
Friedrich of Prussia (middle name William) 1794-1863 Prussia
Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia (middle name William) 1797-1840 Prussia
Willem I of the Netherlands (a.k.a. William) 1815-1840 Netherlands
Georg of Prussia (middle name William) 1826-1902 Prussia
Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia (middle name William) 1840-1861 Prussia
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
Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (middle name William) 1850-1942 United Kingdom
Heinrich of Prussia (middle name William) 1862-1929 Prussia
Wilhelm I (a.k.a. William) 1861-1888; 1871-1888 Prussia; German Empire
Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (middle name William) 1874-1893 United Kingdom
Wilhelm II (a.k.a. William) 1888-1918 German Empire; Prussia
Henry, Duke of Gloucester (middle name William) 1900-1974 United Kingdom
William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1905-1912 Luxembourg
Friedrich of Prussia (middle name William) 1911-1966 Prussia
William of Gloucester 1941-1972 United Kingdom
William, Prince of Wales 1982- United Kingdom
Nikolai of Denmark (middle name William) 1999-2023 Denmark
Pulitzer Award Winners:
4 literatures
(literature) William Faulkner 1954; 1963 A Fable; The Reivers
(literature) William Styron 1968 The Confessions of Nat Turner
(literature) John Cheever (middle name William) 1979 The Stories of John Cheever
(literature) William Kennedy 1984 Ironweed
Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers:
23 musicians
Bill Haley 1987
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. 1987
Bill Wyman (a.k.a. William) 1989 The Rolling Stones
Bill Kreutzmann 1994 The Grateful Dead
"Little" Willie John 1996
William Guest 1996 Gladys Knight & the Pips
Billy "Bass" Nelson 1997 Parliament-Funkadelic
William "Bootsy" Collins 1997 Parliament-Funkadelic
Don Felder (middle name William) 1998 The Eagles
Billy Joel 1999
Johnny Ramone (middle name William) 2002 The Ramones
Bill Medley 2003 The Righteous Brothers
Billy Gibbons 2004 ZZ Top
William Powell 2005 The O'Jays
Bill Ward 2006 Black Sabbath
Billy Powell 2006 Lynyrd Skynyrd
Bill Berry 2007 R.E.M.
Axl Rose (a.k.a. William) 2012 Guns N' Roses
William Jonathan "Flavor Flav" Drayton Jr. 2013 Public Enemy
Bill Withers 2015
Bill Bruford 2017 Yes
Bill Legend (a.k.a. William) 2020 T. Rex
Billy Henderson 2023 The Spinners
Saints:
39 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
Scottish Kings and Queens:
2 kings
King William I the Lion 1165-1214
King William III of Orange 1689-1702
Shakespearian Characters:
14 characters
William As You Like It
Sir William Glansdale Henry VI (1)
Sir William Lucy Henry VI (1)
William Page The Merry Wives of Windsor
Lord William Willoughby Richard II
Bagot (a.k.a. William) Richard II
Lord Ross (a.k.a. William) Richard II
Lord Hastings (a.k.a. William) Henry VI (3); Richard III
Sir William Stanley Henry VI (3)
William Stafford Henry VI (2)
Sir William Catesby Richard III
Sir William Brandon Richard III
Sir William Sands Henry VIII
Doctor Butts (a.k.a. William) Henry VIII
Tony Award Winners:
3 actors
(actor) Claude Rains (a.k.a. William) 1951 Darkness at Noon
(actor) Fritz Weaver (middle name William) 1970 Child's Play
(actor) Bill Irwin 2005 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?