List of Famous people named William

Sir William Alexander was the founder, in 1629, of the Scottish colony of Nova Scotia with the establishment of Charles Fort, now the site of modern Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada. His expedition partner, James Stewart, 4th Lord Ochiltree established a short-lived settlement at Baleine on Cape Breton Island, some 600 km (373 mi) northeast. Alexander was the son of colonizer William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling, but predeceased his father and never assumed his title.

William Alexander Duer was an American lawyer, jurist, and educator from New York City. He was a president of Columbia University, then called Columbia College. His family wealth derived from the transatlantic slave trade.

William John St Clair Anstruther-Gray, Baron Kilmany, MC PC was a Scottish Unionist Party politician.

William Percy (1574–1648), English poet and playwright, was the third son of Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (c.1532–1585), and his wife Katharine Neville (1545/6–1596). His elder brother Henry was a significant figure in English cultural and scientific circles in the late 16th - early 17th century.