List of Famous people named William

William Henry Blum was an American author and critic of United States foreign policy. He lived in Washington, DC.

William George Morgan was the inventor of volleyball, originally called "Mintonette", a name derived from the game of badminton which he later agreed to change to better reflect the nature of the sport. He was born in Lockport, New York, U.S.A.

William Gustav of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince of the House of Ascania and heir to the principality of Anhalt-Dessau.

William Justus Goebel was an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Kentucky for four days in 1900 after having been mortally wounded by an assassin the day before he was sworn in. Goebel remains the only state governor in the United States to be assassinated while in office.

William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist, author and illustrator, who was born in India. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of British society, and the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, which was adapted for a 1975 film by Stanley Kubrick.

William McCrum was a wealthy Irish linen manufacturer and sportsman, most famous for being the inventor in 1890 of the penalty kick in football.

William Theodore Link was an American film and television screenwriter and producer who often worked in collaboration with Richard Levinson.

William V, called the Pious, was Duke of Bavaria from 1579 to 1597.

William F. "Bill" Garrison is an American retired major general who was the commander of United States Army forces during Operation Gothic Serpent, the military operation launched in 1993 to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.

William Henry Ireland (1775–1835) was an English forger of would-be Shakespearean documents and plays. He is less well known as a poet, writer of gothic novels and histories. Although he was apparently christened William-Henry, he was known as Samuel through much of his life, and many sources list his name as Samuel William Henry Ireland.