List of Famous people named William

Sir William "Willie" Purves, is a Scottish banker. He was the first Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings following the creation of a holding company to act as parent to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and the Midland Bank following the former's acquisition of Midland in 1992.

William W. "Bill" Knight was an American lawyer, politician, and newspaper publisher. He lived, worked and raised a family with his wife, Lota Hatfield Knight, in Portland, Oregon. Their son, Phil Knight, a high school and college athlete, went on to co-found Nike.

William Samuel Johnson was an early American statesman who was notable for signing the United States Constitution, for representing Connecticut in the United States Senate, and for serving as the third president of King's College, now known as Columbia University.

William Wellman Jr. is an American former actor. In a career spanning 65 years, he appeared in about 77 films and television series.

William Arnold was one of the founding settlers of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and he and his sons were among the wealthiest people in the colony. He was raised and educated in England where he was the warden of St. Mary's, the parish church of Ilchester in southeastern Somerset. He immigrated to New England with family and associates in 1635. He initially settled in Hingham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but he soon relocated to the new settlement of Providence Plantation with Roger Williams. He was one of the 13 original proprietors of Providence, appearing on the deed signed by Roger Williams in 1638, and was one of the 12 founding members of the first Baptist church to be established in America.