William Smith
William, Willie, Will, or Bill Smith may refer to:
People
Academics
- William Smith (geologist) (1769–1839), English geologist
- William Smith (lexicographer) (1813–1893), English lexicographer
- William Robertson Smith (1846–1894), philologist, physicist, archaeologist, and Biblical critic
- William Ramsay Smith (1859–1937), Australian anthropologist
- William Benjamin Smith, professor of mathematics at Tulane University
- William Hall Smith, President of the Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College, 1916–1920
Arts and entertainment
Film, television, and theatre
Literature
Music
- Bill Smith (Canadian musician) (born 1938), Canadian writer, editor, record producer and musician
- Bill Smith (jazz musician) (born 1926), folk jazz clarinetist and professor of music at the University of Washington
- Barkin' Bill Smith (1928–2000), American Chicago blues singer
- Willie Smith (alto saxophonist) (1910–1967), jazz alto saxophonist
- William Smith (composer) (1603–1645), English composer from the city of Durham
- Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (born 1936), blues drummer and singer
- William Charles Smith (1881–1971), English musicologist
- Willie "The Lion" Smith (1893–1973), jazz pianist
Characters
Business
Law
- William Smith (chief justice) (1728–1793), historian, Chief Justice of the Province of New York, and Chief Justice of the Province of Quebec and later Lower Canada
- William Smith (judge) (1697–1769), father of John Smith, Doctor Thomas Smith, Joshua Hett Smith, and Chief Justice William Smith
- Sir William Cusack-Smith, 2nd Baronet (1766–1836), baronet
- William E. Smith (judge) (born 1959), judge on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
- William Francis Smith (1904–1968), American judge
- William Owen Smith (1848–1929), lawyer involved in overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii
Military
- William Smith (Medal of Honor) (1838–1902), American Civil War sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
- William Smith (Medal of Honor, 1869) (born 1838), American Indian Wars soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
- William Danvers Smith, 2nd Viscount Hambleden (1868–1928), known as Frederick Smith, officer in the British Army
- William Smith (Virginia governor) (1797–1887), Governor of Virginia (1846–1849, 1864–1865) and Confederate general
- William Farrar Smith (1824–1903), Union Army general
- William H. Smith (Medal of Honor) (1847–?), American Indian Wars soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
- William Osborne Smith (1833–1887), first Acting Commissioner of the North West Mounted Police
- William Sooy Smith (1830–1916), American Civil War General
- Sir William Sidney Smith (1764–1840), usually known as Sidney Smith, British admiral
- William F. Smith (US Army Air Corps), piloted the US Army Air Corps B-25 Billy Mitchell Bomber that crashed into the Empire State Building
- William D. Smith (born 1933), United States Navy admiral
- William W. Smith, United States Navy admiral during World War II
- William Y. Smith (born 1925), United States Air Force general
- William Watson Smith (aviator) (born 1892), World War I flying ace
- William Douglas Smith (1865–1939), British general
- William Ruthven Smith (1868–1941), United States Army officer
Politics
- Amor De Cosmos (1825–1897), born William Alexander Smith, Premier of British Columbia
- Bill Smith (Alberta politician) (born 1935), Canadian politician
- William Smith (abolitionist) (1756–1835), grandfather of Florence Nightingale, dissenter and British M.P. whose constituencies included Camelford, Sudbury, and Norwich
- William Smith (Nova Scotia politician) (died 1779), merchant, judge and politician in Nova Scotia
- William Smith (Ordnance) (1721–1803), of Chichester, UK Treasurer of the Ordnance
- William Forgan Smith (1887–1953), Premier of the Australian state of Queensland, 1932–1942
- William Laird Smith (1869–1942), Australian representative for Denison, 1910–1922 and Minister for the Navy, 1920–1921
- William Smith (Canadian politician) (1847–1931), Canadian politician
- William Mein Smith (1798–1869), key actor in the early settlement of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington
- William Smith (1849–1913), British Member of Parliament for North Lonsdale, 1892–1895
- William Smith (loyalist), Northern Irish loyalist politician
- William Cowper Smith (1843–1911), Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand
- William Haslam Smith (born 1891), businessman and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada
- William Masters Smith, British Member of Parliament for West Kent
- William Smith (MP for Ripon), MP for Ripon (UK Parliament constituency)
American politics
- William Smith (congressman), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia (1821–1827)
- William Smith (Maryland) (1728–1814), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland (1789–1791)
- William Smith (South Carolina representative) (1751–1837), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina (1797–1798)
- William Smith (South Carolina senator) (1762–1840), U.S. senator from South Carolina (1815–1830)
- William Alden Smith (1859–1932), member of the U.S. House of Representatives(1895–1906) and Senator (1905–1918) from Michigan
- William Alexander Smith (politician) (1828–1888), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1873–1874)
- William E. Smith (1824–1883), Governor of Wisconsin (1878–1882)
- William Smith (Virginia governor) (1797–1887), Governor of Virginia (1846–1849, 1864–1865) and Confederate general
- William Ephraim Smith (1829–1890), member of the Confederate (1863–1865) and U.S. (1875–1881) House of Representatives from Georgia
- William Ernest Smith, mayor of Murray, Utah, 1946–1947
- William French Smith (1917–1990), U.S. Attorney General (1981–1985)
- William Grover Smith, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, 1889–1891
- William Hugh Smith (1826–1899), Governor of Alabama (1868–1870)
- William Jay Smith (Tennessee politician) (1823–1913), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee
- William L. Smith (barber), Socialist barber from Milwaukee who served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly
- William L. Smith (Republican) (1878–?), telephone businessman who served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly and two in the Wisconsin State Senate
- William Loughton Smith (1758–1812), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina (1789–1798)
- William M. Smith, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives
- William Nathan Harrell Smith (1812–1889), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1859–1860)
- William Orlando Smith (1859–1932), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1903–1906)
- William R. Smith (Mormon) (1826–1896), member of the Utah Territory House of Representatives
- William Robert Smith (1863–1924), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (1903–1916)
- William Russell Smith (1815–1896), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama (1851–1856)
- William Stephens Smith (1755–1816), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1813–1816) and son-in-law of President John Adams
- Bill Smith (New York politician) (c. 1914–2010), member of the New York State Senate, a.k.a. Bill "Cadillac" Smith
Religion and philosophy
- William Smith (Episcopalian priest) (1727–1803), First Provost of the University of Pennsylvania
- William Angie Smith (1894–1974), Bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church
- William R. Smith (Mormon) (1826–1896), Mormon leader in Davis County, Utah Territory
- William Saumarez Smith (1836–1909), 4th Anglican Bishop of Sydney (1890–1897) and 1st Archbishop of Sydney (1897–1909)
- William Smith (scholar) (1711–1787), classical scholar and Dean of Chester
- William Smith (Latter Day Saints) (1811–1893), younger brother of the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Jr., and a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement
- William Smith (archbishop) (1819–1892), Roman Catholic clergyman
Science, engineering, and technology
Sports
Baseball
- Bill Smith (baseball manager), National Association player-manager for the Baltimore Marylands
- Bill Smith (baseball executive) (born 1958), Minnesota Twins general manager
- Bill Smith (right-handed pitcher) (1861–1928), American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1886
- Bill Smith (left-handed pitcher) (1934–1997), American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1958–59; 1962
- Bill Smith (outfielder) (1865–1886), American baseball outfielder for the 1884 Cleveland Blues
- Billy Smith (second baseman) (born 1953), American infielder in Major League Baseball, 1975–79; 1981
- Billy Smith (pitcher), American pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1981, see 1981 Houston Astros season
- Billy Smith (baseball, born 1930), American minor league first baseman and manager and Major League coach and scout
- Willie Smith (pitcher) (born 1967), American pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1994
- Willie Smith (outfielder) (1939–2006), American outfielder in Major League Baseball, 1963–1971
- William John Smith (1921–2003), American baseball player
Basketball
Boxing
Cricket
- William Smith (footballer), English footballer with Stockport and Manchester United
- William Smith (footballer born 1865), English goalkeeper for Burnley
- William Smith (footballer born 1886), footballer for Bradford City and Stoke
- Bill Smith (Edwardian footballer), English footballer with Brentford, Southampton and Halifax Town
- Bill Smith (footballer born 1897), English footballer with Durham City and York City
- Bill Smith (footballer born 1906) (1906–1979), English footballer with Norwich City and Exeter City
- Bill Smith (footballer born 1926), English footballer with Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers
- Billy Smith (footballer born 1882), English footballer for West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham
- Billy Smith (footballer born 1895) (1895–1951), English footballer with Huddersfield Town
- Billy Smith (footballer born 1900), English footballer with Hartlepool United, Huddersfield Town and Rochdale
Other sports
- Bill Smith (fell runner) (1936 – 2011)
- Bill Smith (motorcyclist), former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer
- Billy Smith (ice hockey) (born 1950), Canadian ice hockey goaltender
- Bill Smith (poker player) (died 1997), professional poker player
- Billy Smith (rugby league) (born 1942), Australian rugby league player
- Will Smith (rugby league) (born 1990), rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights
- Billy Dee Smith (born 1982), professional lacrosse player
- D. William Smith (Speedy Bill Smith), sprint car driver
- Willie Smith (billiards player) (1886–1982), English professional player of snooker and English billiards
- William Smith (cyclist), South African Olympic cyclist
- William Smith (field hockey) (1886–1937), British field hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Willie Smith (golfer) (died 1916), Scottish golfer
- William Smith (sport shooter), Canadian Olympic sport shooter
- William Smith (swimmer) (born 1924), two-time gold medalist in the 1948 Olympic games
- William Smith (wrestler) (born 1928), 1952 Olympic gold medalist
- Willie Smith (American athlete)
- Willie Smith (Namibian athlete)
Other people
- William Smith (c. 1872–1941), Master of the SS Sauternes, English merchant seaman killed in World War II
- William Smith (mariner) (c. 1775–?), British mariner and discoverer of the South Shetland Islands
- William Smith (murderer) (1957–2005), executed by the State of Ohio in 2005
- William Smith (shearer) (1896–1947), perhaps the most skilled sheep-shearer in the first half of the 20th century
- William Smith (South African), South African television science and mathematics teacher
- Sir William Alexander Smith (Boys' Brigade) (1854–1914), founder of the Boys' Brigade
- William Kennedy Smith (born 1960), physician and Kennedy family scion who was acquitted of rape in 1991
- William Trickett Smith II (born c. 1981), American drug trafficker accused of murdering his wife in Peru in 2007
- William Smith, 3rd Viscount Hambleden (1903–1948), British peer
- William Pitt Smith (1760–1796), U.S. physician, educator and theological writer
- William Wright Smith (1875–1956), Scottish botanist and horticulturalist
- William Smith (architect) (1817–1891), Scottish architect
- William Smith (registrar) (1816–1895), Ghanaian civil servant
- William Wragg Smith (1808–1875), American planter, lawyer, naturalist, translator and poet
Non-persons
See also