# Bill (given name)

Bill is a masculine given name, generally a short form (hypocorism) of William. It can also be used as the adaptation into English of the popular Greek name Vasilis or Vasileios (Basil), especially amongst Greek immigrants in English-speaking countries, probably due to similarity in the sound.
People named Bill include:
* Bill Ackman (born 1966), American billionaire hedge fund manager
* Bill Allen, multiple people
* Bill Allison, multiple people
* Bill Anderson (born 1937), American singer, songwriter, and television host
* Bill Ayers (born 1944), American professor and militant organizer
* Bill Bailey (born 1965), British actor, comedian, presenter and musician.
* Bill Barr (born 1950), Former Attorney General of the United States
* Bill Barrett, multiple people
** Bill Barrett (1929–2016), American politician
* Bill Barretta (born 1964), American actor and puppeteer
* Bill Belichick (born 1952), head coach/general manager of the NFL's New England Patriots since 2000
* Bill Bennett (1932–2015), Canadian politician
* Bill Berry, multiple people
** Bill Berry (born 1958), American musician
* Bill Bixby (1934–1993), American actor and director
* Bill Bowerman (1911–1999), American co-founder of Nike, Inc
* Bill Bowman (racing driver), former NASCAR Cup Series driver
* Bill Bradley (born 1943), American politician and basketball player
* Bill Browder (born 1964), American-born English financier and political activist
* Bill Bruford (born 1949), English drummer and percussionist
* Bill Bryson (1898–1973), Australian politician
* Bill Bryson (born 1951), UK-based American author
* Bill Bryson Sr. (1915–1986), American journalist
* Bill Buckner (1949–2019), American baseball player
* Bill Buford (born 1954), American author and journalist
* Bill Burr (born 1968), American comedian
* Bill Callahan (born 1956), American football coach
* Bill Camp (born 1963/1964), American actor.
* Bill Carson, multiple people
* Bill Cassidy (born 1957), American physician and politician
* Bill Champlin (born 1947), American musician
* Bill Charlap (born 1966), American jazz pianist
* Bill Clinton (born 1946), 42nd President of the United States
* Bill Conti (born 1942), American composer and conductor
* Bill Cosby (born 1937), American stand-up comedian, actor, musician and author who was convicted of sexual assault
* Bill Cowher (born 1957), American retired National Football League head coach and player
* Bill Craver (1844–1901), American baseball player
* Bill Cullen (1920–1990), American radio and television personality
* Bill de Blasio (born 1961), American politician, Mayor of New York City
* Bill DeMott (born 1966), American professional wrestler, road agent, and trainer
* Bill Doran, multiple people
* Bill Duke (born 1943), American actor and filmmaker
* Bill DuLac (born 1951), American football player
* Bill Edwards, multiple people
* Bill Elliott (born 1955), American retired NASCAR driver
* Bill Engvall (born 1957), American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host
* Bill Evans (1929–1980), American jazz pianist
* Bill Fagerbakke (born 1957), American voice actor
* Bill Farmer (born 1952), American voice actor
* Bill Finger (1914-1974), American comic strip, comic book, film and television writer, best known for co-creating Batman.
* Bill Foster, multiple people
* Bill Frist (born 1952), American politician
* Bill Gaither (born 1936), American singer and songwriter
* Bill Gates
** Bill Gates (born 1955), American business magnate, investor, author, philanthropist, and co-founder of Microsoft
* Bill Goldberg (born 1966), American professional NFL football player and professional wrestler
* Bill Graham, multiple people
* Bill Gray (born 1975 or 1976), birth name of American gay pornographic actor Billy Santoro
* Bill Gustoff (born 1968), American politician and attorney
* Bill Hader (born 1978), American comedian
* Bill Haley (1929–1981), American musician
* Bill Hanson (basketball) (born c. 1940), basketball player
* Bill Harris, multiple people
* Bill Haslam (born 1958), American businessman and politician
* Bill Haywood (1869–1928), American labor organizer
* Bill Hemmer (born 1964), American journalist
* Bill Hickman (1921-1986), American actor, stunt driver, stunt coordinator
* Bill Hicks (1961–1994), American comedian
* Bill Hybels (born 1951), American church figure and author
* Bill Iffrig (1934–2024), American marathon runner
* Bill Irwin (born 1950), American actor, best known for playing Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street
* Bill James
** Bill James (born 1949), American baseball writer
* Bill Janklow (1939–2012), American lawyer and politician
* Bill Kaulitz (born 1989), German singer and songwriter (Tokio Hotel)
* Bill Kelliher (born 1971), American guitarist for heavy metal band Mastodon
* Bill Kerr (1922–2014), Australian actor, comedian, and vaudevillian
* Bill Knowlton (1898–1944), American baseball player
* Bill Kristol (born 1952), American political writer
* Bill Kurtis (born 1940), American TV personality
* Bill Laimbeer (born 1957), American professional basketball coach and player
* Bill Lane, multiple people
* Bill Larsen (1928–1993), American magician
* Bill Larson, multiple people
* Bill Lear (1902–1978), American inventor and businessman, founder of the Lear Jet Corporation
* Bill Lennon (1845–1910), American baseball player
* Bill Maher
** Bill Maher (born 1956), American comedian, political commentator and television host
* Bill McKibben (born 1960), American environmentalist, author, and journalist
* Bill Medley (born 1940), American singer and songwriter, half of The Righteous Brothers
* Bill Miner (c. 1847 – 1913), American Old West stagecoach and train robber
* Bill Mitchell (born 1960), American politician
* Bill Morgan, multiple people
* Bill Moyers (born 1934), American journalist and political commentator
* Bill Murray
** Bill Murray (born 1950), American actor, comedian, and writer
* Bill Nelson, American politician, former US Senator
* Bill Nicholson, multiple people
* Bill Nighy (born 1949), British actor
* Bill Nunn, multiple people
* Bill Nye
** Bill Nye (born 1955), American science communicator, television presenter and mechanical engineer, known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy"
* Bill O'Reilly
* Bill Oakley (born 1966), American TV writer and producer
* Bill Oberst Jr., an American stage, film, and television actor
* Bill Oddie (born 1941), English conservationist, entertainer, and ornithologist
* Bill Owen (1914–1999), English actor
* Bill Parcells (born 1941), American former National Football League head coach
* Bill Paxton (1955–2017), American actor and director
* Bill Peet (1915–2002), American author and animator
* Bill Potts, multiple people
* Bill Prady (born 1960), American television writer and producer
* Bill Pullman (born 1953), American actor
* Bill Putnam (1920–1989), American audio engineer
* Bill Putnam (basketball) (1922–1992), American basketball player
* Bill Ramsey (1931–2021), German-American singer and actor
* William Robinson, which includes several Bills
** Bill Robinson (1878–1949), African-American tap dancer and actor nicknamed "Bojangles"
* Bill Russell (1934–2022), American Hall-of-Fame retired National Basketball Association player
* Bill Schuette (born 1953), American lawyer and politician
* Bill Schwarz British historian, academic and writer
* Bill Shankly (1913–1981), British Soccer Manager
* Bill Shirley (1921–1989), American actor and singer
* Bill Shorten (born 1967), Australian politician and former trade unionist
* Bill Simmons (born 1969), American podcaster, sportswriter, and cultural critic
* Bill Skarsgård (born 1990), Swedish actor known for portraying Pennywise the dancing clown
* Bill Snyder (born 1936), American football player and coach
* Bill Stearns (1853–1898), American baseball player
* Bill Stemmyer (1865–1945), American professional baseball player
* Bill Stevenson, multiple people
* Bill Sweek (born 1946/1947), American basketball player and coach
* Bill Thompson, multiple people
* Bill Tilden (1893–1953), American tennis player
* Bill Vander Zalm (born 1934), Canadian politician
* Bill W. (1895–1971), co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
* Bill Walker (born 1987), American basketball player
* Bill Walsh, multiple people
* Bill Walton (1952–2024), American Hall-of-Fame National Basketball Association player and broadcaster
* Bill Ward (born 1948), English musician, drummer for Black Sabbath
* Bill Wash, multiple people
* Bill Watterson (born 1958), American cartoonist, author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes
* Bill Weld (born 1945), American attorney, 68th governor of Massachusetts
* Bill White, multiple people
* Bill Wiggin, British Member of Parliament
* Bill Withers (1938–2020), American singer and songwriter
* Bill Wold, American basketball player
* Bill Wurtz (born 1989) American musician and video creator.
* Bill Wyman (born William George Perks Jr. in 1936), English musician, record producer, songwriter and singer, former bass guitarist for the Rolling Stones
* Bill Young (1930–2013), American politician

## Fictional characters

* Bill, a duck character in Sitting Ducks
* "Lightning" Bill Carson, a fictional character portrayed by actor Tim McCoy in a series of films, see Straight Shooter
* Bill Carson, a character in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
* Bill the Cat, fictional cat appearing in the works of cartoonist Berkeley Breathed
* Bill Cipher, a character in Gravity Falls
* Bill Dauterive, a character from King of the Hill
* Bill Denbrough, a character in the novel and film It (2017 film)
* Bill Foster, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics
* Bill Hawks, the British prime minister that appeared in Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
* Bill, Ben's twin brother in The Railway Series and the spinoff TV series Thomas and Friends
* Bill, character in the Flower Pot Men
* Bill Newton, a character from the Hill Climb Racing franchise
* Bill Potts (Doctor Who), a character in Doctor Who
* Bill S. Preston, Esq, a character in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and its sequels
* Bill Sikes, main antagonist from Oliver Twist
* Bill Spencer Jr., fictional character from the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful
* Bill Standall, a character in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why
* Bill the Lizard, a character in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
* Little Bill, an American animated educational television series created by Bill Cosby
* Mr. Bill, clay figurine star of a parody of children's movies shows created by Walter Williams
* Bootstrap Bill Turner, father of Will Turner in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean films