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 (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 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) 2010-2016
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 (a.k.a. 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:
4 characters, 1 hero, 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
Jack Frost (a.k.a. William) 1984; 1987 Frost at Christmas; A Touch of Frost
Bill Compton (a.k.a. William) 2001 The Southern Vampire Mysteries
Fictional Characters from Television:
25 characters, 1 hero
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
William Hodges 1968 Dad's Army
Bill Spencer, Sr. (a.k.a. William) 1987 The Bold and the Beautiful
Bill Spencer, Jr. (a.k.a. William) 1987 The Bold and the Beautiful
Liam Spencer (a.k.a. William) 1987 The Bold and the Beautiful
Will Riker (a.k.a. William) 1987 Star Trek: The Next Generation
Will Smith 1990 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Randy Taylor (a.k.a. William) 1991 Home Improvement
Jack Frost (a.k.a. William) 1992 A Touch of Frost
Fox Mulder (a.k.a. William) 1993 The X-Files
Will McCorkle (a.k.a. William) 1994 Party of Five
Bill Dauterive (a.k.a. William) 1997 King of the Hill
Billy Thomas (a.k.a. William) 1997 Ally McBeal; The Practice
Will Truman (a.k.a. William) 1998 Will & Grace
Will Tippin (a.k.a. William) 2001 Alias
Sam Winchester (a.k.a. William) 2005 Supernatural
Will Pope (a.k.a. William) 2005 The Closer
Bill Henrickson (a.k.a. William) 2006 Big Love
Dell Parker (a.k.a. William) 2005; 2007 Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice
Bill Compton (a.k.a. William) 2008 True Blood
William Bell 2008 Fringe
Will Gardner (a.k.a. William) 2009 The Good Wife
Will Schuester (a.k.a. William) 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, 13 football, 11 ice hockey, 10 basketball
(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 (a.k.a. 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 (a.k.a. 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
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 (a.k.a. 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 (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 c. 1270-1305
(activist) William Apess 1798-1839
(activist) D'Arcy McNickle (a.k.a. William) 1904-1977
Notable Actors and Actresses:
85 actors, 4 actor/comedians, 2 comedians, 2 comedian/actors, 1 actress, 1 entertainer, 1 entertainer/actor
"Buffalo" Bill Cody 1846-1917
Bransby Williams (a.k.a. William) 1870-1961
Will Rogers 1879-1935
W. C. Fields (a.k.a. William) 1880-1946
True Boardman (a.k.a. William) 1882-1918
Billie Burke 1884-1970
Brefni O'Rorke (a.k.a. William) 1889-1946
Gareth Hughes (a.k.a. William) 1894-1965
Clark Gable (a.k.a. William) 1901-1960
Chips Rafferty (a.k.a. William) 1909-1971
Dabbs Greer (a.k.a. William) 1917-2007
William Holden 1918-1981
Richard Farnsworth (a.k.a. William) 1920-2000
Jack Elam (a.k.a. William) 1920-2003
William Windom 1923-2012
Johnny Carson (a.k.a. William) 1925-2005
Leslie Nielsen (a.k.a. William) 1926-2010
William Daniels 1927-
Bill Daily 1927-2018
Stanley Baker (a.k.a. William) 1928-1976
Adam West (a.k.a. William) 1928-2017
Thane Bettany (a.k.a. William) 1929-2015
William Shatner 1931-
Stephen Boyd (a.k.a. William) 1931-1977
Will Sampson 1933-1987
Jeremy Brett (a.k.a. William) 1933-1995
Bill Cobbs 1934-
James Stacy (a.k.a. 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 (a.k.a. William) 1939-2010
William Lucking 1941-2021
Scott Wilson (a.k.a. William) 1942-2018
Billy Connolly 1942-
Peter Mayhew (a.k.a. William) 1944-2019
Tom Selleck (a.k.a. William) 1945-
Pete Postlethwaite (a.k.a. William) 1946-2011
Bill Smitrovich (a.k.a. William) 1947-
Dwight Schultz (a.k.a. William) 1947-
Billy Crystal 1948-
Anson Williams (a.k.a. William) 1949-
Bill Nighy 1949-
William H. Macy 1950-
William Hurt 1950-2022
William Sadler 1950-
Bill Murray 1950-
Jeff Conaway (a.k.a. William) 1950-2011
William Katt 1951-
Liam Neeson 1952-
William Petersen 1953-
Bill Nunn 1953-2016
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 (a.k.a. William) 1958-
Billy Campbell 1959-
William Baldwin 1963-
William Shockley 1963-
Brad Pitt (a.k.a. William) 1963-
Linus Roache (a.k.a. William) 1964-
Willie Garson (a.k.a. William) 1964-2021
Todd Field (a.k.a. William) 1964-
James Nesbitt (a.k.a. William) 1965-
Peter Krause (a.k.a. William) 1965-
Billy Zane 1966-
Billy Burke 1966-
Will Ferrell 1967-
Billy Crudup 1968-
Julian McMahon (a.k.a. William) 1968-
Naveen Andrews (a.k.a. William) 1969-
Will Keen 1970-
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (a.k.a. William) 1970-
Josh Hopkins (a.k.a. William) 1970-
Rupert Penry-Jones (a.k.a. William) 1970-
Dylan Moran (a.k.a. William) 1971-
Paul Walker (a.k.a. William) 1973-2013
Will Sasso 1975-
Seann William Scott 1976-
James Van Der Beek (a.k.a. William) 1977-
Matthew Goode (a.k.a. William) 1978-
Bill Hader 1978-
Jonas Armstrong (a.k.a. William) 1981-
Tom Hiddleston (a.k.a. William) 1981-
Rupert Friend (a.k.a. William) 1981-
Jason Dohring (a.k.a. William) 1982-
Dane DeHaan (a.k.a. William) c. 1985-
Will Peltz 1986-
William Moseley 1987-
Jeremy Irvine (a.k.a. William) 1990-
Isaac Hempstead-Wright (a.k.a. William) 1999-
Notable Artists:
7 painters, 2 cartoonists, 1 artist, 1 game designer
William Hogarth 1697-1764
William Blake 1757-1827
J. M. W. Turner (a.k.a. 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
Will Eisner 1917-2005
Bill Watterson 1958-
Will Wright 1960-
Notable Athletes:
13 baseball, 12 football, 11 ice hockey, 9 rugby, 7 basketball, 7 soccer, 2 boxing, 2 driving, 2 golf, 2 tennis, 1 cricket, 1 handball
(baseball) Candy Cummings (a.k.a. William) 1848-1924
(baseball) Buck Ewing (a.k.a. William) 1859-1906
(baseball) Billy Hamilton 1866-1940
(baseball) Willie Keeler 1872-1923
(ice hockey) Hod Stuart (a.k.a. William) 1879-1907
(ice hockey) Billy McGimsie 1880-1968
(ice hockey) Riley Hern (a.k.a. William) 1880-1929
(baseball) Rube Marquard (a.k.a. William) 1886-1980
(ice hockey) Sprague Cleghorn (a.k.a. William) 1890-1956
(tennis) Bill Tilden 1893-1953
(boxing) Jack Dempsey (a.k.a. William) 1895-1983
(ice hockey) Bill Cook 1896-1986
(baseball) Bill Terry 1898-1989
(football) William R. "Link" Lyman 1898-1972
(baseball) Judy Johnson (a.k.a. William) 1899-1989
(baseball) Bill Foster 1904-1978
(baseball) Bill Dickey 1907-1993
(baseball) Bucky Walters (a.k.a. William) 1909-1991
(baseball) Billy Herman 1909-1992
(football) Bill Hewitt 1909-1947
(basketball) William "Skinny" Johnson 1911-1980
(ice hockey) Bill Cowley 1912-1993
(golf) Ben Hogan (a.k.a. William) 1912-1997
(ice hockey) Bill Durnan 1916-1972
(basketball) William "Pop" Gates 1917-1999
(football) Bill Willis 1921-2007
(ice hockey) Bill Mosienko 1921-1994
(football) Bill Dudley 1921-2010
(basketball) Bill Sharman 1926-2013
(ice hockey) Bill Gadsby 1927-2016
(football) Bill George 1929-1982
(basketball) Bill Russell 1934-2022
(baseball) Bill Mazeroski 1936-
(football) Willie Wood 1936-2020
(driving) Chris Bristow (a.k.a. William) 1937-1960
(cricket) Bill Playle 1938-2019
(football) Billy Shaw 1938-
(soccer) Billy McNeill 1940-2019
(football) Willie Brown 1940-2019
(basketball) Billy Cunningham 1943-
(basketball) Bill Bradley 1943-
(boxing) Joe Frazier (a.k.a. William) 1944-2011
(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 (a.k.a. William) 1959-
(golf) Brandt Jobe (a.k.a. William) 1965-
(football) Willie Roaf 1970-
(soccer) Liam Miller (a.k.a. William) 1981-2018
(rugby) Dan Carter (a.k.a. William) 1982-
(rugby) Mike Phillips (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 1985-
(baseball) Dexter Fowler (a.k.a. William) 1986-
(soccer) Edwin Hernández (a.k.a. William) 1986-
(rugby) Will Genia 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-
(driving) Will Stevens 1991-
(soccer) Will Grigg 1991-
(soccer) William Carvalho 1992-
(rugby) Will Skelton 1992-
(soccer) Cian Harries (a.k.a. William) 1997-
Notable Businesspeople:
11 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
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:
10 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
William Herndon 1813-1857
William Grant Stairs 1863-1892
Bill Tilman 1898-1977
Notable Filmmakers:
4 directors, 1 director/producer/screenwriter
William Wyler 1902-1981
Ted Kotcheff (a.k.a. William) 1931-
William Friedkin 1935-2023
Todd Field (a.k.a. William) 1964-
Paul W. S. Anderson (a.k.a. William) 1965-
Notable Hosts and Presenters:
2 television
(television) Bob Barker (a.k.a. William) 1923-2023
(television) Johnny Carson (a.k.a. William) 1925-2005
Notable Musicians:
16 musicians, 3 singers, 2 composers
Edward Elgar (a.k.a. William) 1857-1934 classical
Willie "The Lion" Smith 1893-1973 jazz
William Grant Still 1895-1978 classical
Willie Smith 1910-1967 jazz
Bill Monroe 1911-1996 country
Bill Haley 1925-1981 rock
John Coltrane (a.k.a. William) 1926-1967 jazz
"Little" Willie John 1937-1968 R&B
Bill Withers 1938-2020 R&B, soul
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. 1940- R&B
Billy Joel 1949- rock
Billy Gibbons 1949- rock
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins 1951- funk
Billy Idol (a.k.a. William) 1955- rock
Axl Rose (a.k.a. William) 1962- rock
"Bushwick" Bill 1966-2019 hip hop
Billy Corgan 1967- rock
Fred Durst (a.k.a. William) 1970- rock
Liam Gallagher 1972- rock
William "DJ Snake" Grigahcine 1986- electronic
Louis Tomlinson (a.k.a. William) 1991- pop, rock
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 (a.k.a. William) 1877-1956
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:
13 authors, 3 poets, 1 author/essayist, 1 author/poet, 1 playwright/author, 1 playwright/poet, 1 poet/author
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 Stanley Braithwaite 1878-1962
William Carlos Williams 1883-1963
William Faulkner 1897-1962
D'Arcy McNickle (a.k.a. William) 1904-1977
William Golding 1911-1993
W. J. Burley (a.k.a. William) 1914-2002
William Styron 1925-2006
William Wharton 1925-2008
William Trevor 1928-2016
John Jakes (a.k.a. William) 1932-2023
W. P. Kinsella (a.k.a. William) 1935-2016
Jack Ketchum (a.k.a. William) 1946-2018
William Boyd 1952-
W. Bruce Cameron (a.k.a. William) 1960-
Olympic Medalists:
50 gold, 23 bronze, 18 silver, 3 gold/silver, 2 bronze/gold, 2 gold/bronze, 1 bronze/silver, 1 silver/bronze, 1 silver/gold
(gold) William Hoyt 1896 pole vault
(bronze) Bill Burgess 1900 water polo
(silver) Bill Holland 1900 400 m
(gold) William Lister 1900 water polo
(silver) William Clark 1904 archery - team round
(gold/bronze) 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) Bill Tuttle 1904 swimming - 4x50 yard freestyle relay
(silver) Bill Verner 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
(bronze) William Halpenny 1912 pole vault
(bronze) Joe Cottrill (a.k.a. William) 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) 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
(bronze/gold) William Petersson 1920 4x100 m relay; long jump
(bronze) Bill Harris 1920 swimming - 100 m freestyle
(silver) William Seagrove 1920; 1924 3000 m team
(silver) William Herald 1920 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(bronze) Joie Ray (a.k.a. William) 1924 3000 m team
(gold) Nick Winter (a.k.a. William) 1924 triple jump
(gold) Beattie Ramsay (a.k.a. William) 1924 ice hockey
(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) 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 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 (a.k.a. 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) William Smith 1952 freestyle wrestling
(gold) Bill Lienhard 1952 basketball
(silver) Bill Miller 1952 javelin throw
(gold/silver) Andy Stanfield (a.k.a. William) 1952; 1956 4x100 m relay; 200 m
(gold) Chris Brasher (a.k.a. William) 1956 3000 m steeplechase
(gold) Bill Hougland 1952; 1956 basketball
(gold) Billy Evans 1956 basketball
(gold) Jesse Mashburn (a.k.a. William) 1956 4x400 m relay
(gold) William Albert Yorzyk Jr. 1956 swimming - 200 m butterfly
(silver/gold) Bill Nieder 1956; 1960 shot put
(gold) Tom Courtney (a.k.a. William) 1956 4x400 m relay; 800 m
(gold) Bill Russell 1956 basketball
(gold/silver) Bill Woolsey 1952; 1956 swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(gold/silver) Parry O'Brien (a.k.a. William) 1952; 1956; 1960 shot put
(silver) Willie May 1960 110 m hurdles
(gold) Bill Mulliken 1960 swimming - 200 m breaststroke
(gold) Paul Hait (a.k.a. William) 1960 swimming - 4x100 m medley relay
(bronze) Bill Dellinger 1964 5000 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 (a.k.a. William) 1964 swimming - 400 m medley
(gold) Bill Toomey 1968 decathlon
(bronze) Steven Barnett (a.k.a. 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) 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 (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 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) Bill 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:
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 (a.k.a. William) 1995-2005 Tanzania
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, 3 princes, 1 emperor/king, 1 grand duke, 1 king/emperor
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
Wilhelm I (a.k.a. William) 1861-1888; 1871-1888 Prussia; German Empire
Wilhelm II (a.k.a. William) 1888-1918 German Empire; Prussia
William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1905-1912 Luxembourg
William, Prince of Wales 1982- United Kingdom
Nikolai of Denmark (a.k.a. William) 1999-2023 Denmark
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
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 Earl "Bootsy" Collins 1997 Parliament-Funkadelic
Don Felder (a.k.a. William) 1998 The Eagles
Billy Joel 1999
Johnny Ramone (a.k.a. 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:
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:
2 books, 2 songs, 1 tv show
(book) William Green Hill 1908 Miss Minerva and William Green Hill
(book) William 1922 Just William
(song) William 1984 William, It Was Really Nothing
(tv show) William 1994 William's Wish Wellingtons
(song) William 2009 William's Last Words