# William Smith

William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to:

## Academics

* William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic
* William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University College, Oxford
* William Smith (scholar) (1711–1787), English classical scholar and Anglican Dean of Chester
* William Smith (Episcopal priest) (1727–1803), Scottish-born first provost of University of Pennsylvania
* William Pitt Smith (1760–1796), American physician, educator and theological writer
* William Andrew Smith (1802–1870), American college president and clergyman
* William Smith (lexicographer) (1813–1893), English editor and publisher of dictionaries
* William Robertson Smith (1846–1894), Scottish philologist, physicist, archaeologist and Biblical critic
* William Benjamin Smith (1850–1934), American professor of mathematics at Tulane University
* William Ramsay Smith (1859–1937), Australian anthropologist
* William George Smith (1866–1918), Scottish psychologist
* William Hall Smith (1866–after 1920), President of Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College, 1916–1920
* William Cunningham Smith (1871–1943), American academic of English literature, university administrator and writer
* William Roy Smith (1876–1938), American academic historian
* William Charles Smith (1881–1972), English musicologist
* William Newton-Smith (1943–2023), Anglo-Canadian philosopher of science
* Willie W. Smith, American physiologist

## Arts and entertainment

* Will Smith (born 1968), American actor, rapper, and film producer
* William "Gentleman" Smith (1730–1819), English stage star
* William Henry Smith (1806–1872), American author of 1844 temperance play The Drunkard
* William Smith (actor) (1933–2021), American character performer
* William Smith (17th-century actor) (died 1696), British actor
* William Smith (teacher) (1939–2024), South African television science and mathematics presenter
* Will Smith (comedian) (born 1971), English actor and writer

### Art and literature

* William Smith (poet) (before 1570–after 1606), English sonneteer
* William Thompson Russell Smith (1812–1896), Scottish-American painter
* William Collingwood Smith (1815–1887), English painter
* William Jardine Smith (1834–1884), Australian writer and editor
* William Brooke Smith (before 1880–1908), American artist
* William Twigg-Smith (1883–1950), New Zealand artist
* William Hart-Smith (1911–1990), New Zealand/Australian poet
* William E. Smith (artist) (1913–1997), African American illustrator
* W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), American photojournalist
* William Craig Smith (1918–1986), American art director
* William Arthur Smith (1918–1989), American artist
* William Jay Smith (1918–2015), American poet
* William Gardner Smith (1927–1974), African-American novelist
* Bill Smith (jewelry designer) (born 1933), first African American recipient of Coty Award
* Willi Smith (1948–1987), American fashion designer
* Will Smith, American tech journalist, 2010 founder of Tested.com

### Characters

* Bill Smith, in the Canadian TV comedy program The Red Green Show, played by Rick Green (comedian)
* Billy Smith, in the US late-night live sketch comedy variety show Saturday Night Live, played by Fred Armisen
* Billy Smith, in the UK TV soap opera Coronation Street
* Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), TV series character
* Will Smith, in the Australian TV soap opera Home and Away, played by Zac Drayson
* Will Smith, child character in Wee Sing The Best Christmas Ever!

### Music

* Barkin' Bill Smith (1928–2000), American Chicago blues singer
* Bill Smith (Canadian musician) (born 1938), Canadian record producer, musician, writer, editor
* Bill Smith (English musician) (born 1940), founding member of the Quarrymen
* Bill Smith (jazz musician) (1926–2020), folk jazz clarinetist, professor of music at the University of Washington
* Major Bill Smith (1922–1994), American record producer and executive
* William Smith (composer) (1603–1645), English composer from the city of Durham
* William "Smitty" Smith (1944–1997), keyboardist and session musician
* Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (1936–2011), blues drummer and singer
* Willie "Long Time" Smith, dates unknown, Chicago blues pianist and singer
* Willie Smith (alto saxophonist) (1910–1967), jazz alto saxophonist
* Willie "the Lion" Smith (1893–1973), jazz pianist
* William Oscar Smith, jazz double bassist and music educator

## Business

* William Henry Smith (1792–1865), entrepreneur whose business was about both newsagents and book shops
** William Henry Smith (1825–1891), son of the above, and politician
* William Smith (businessman) (1818–1912), nurseryman and donor to Hobart and William Smith Colleges
* William Reardon Smith (1856–1935), British shipowner
* Willie Reardon Smith (1887–1950), British shipowner
* William Wensley Smith (1887–1955), founder of W. W. Smith Insurance Ltd

## Law and crime

* Sir William Cusack-Smith, 2nd Baronet (1766–1836), baronet
* William W. Smith (Arkansas judge) (1838–1888), justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
* William A. Smith (Iowa judge) (1870–1958), justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
* William A. Smith (Kansas judge) (1888–1968), Associate Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court
* William E. Smith (judge) (born 1959), judge on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
* Sir William James Smith (1853–1912), British judge who served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Cyprus, British Guiana and the Transvaal
* William Francis Smith (1904–1968), judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
* William Kennedy Smith (born 1960), physician and Kennedy family scion who was acquitted of rape in 1991
* William Nimmo Smith, Lord Nimmo Smith (born 1942), former Senator of the College of Justice and a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland
* William Owen Smith (1848–1929), lawyer involved in overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii
* William Redwood Smith (1851–1935), Associate Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court
* William Scott Smith (born 1959), American serial killer and kidnapper
* William Smith (judge, born 1728) (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, born 1697) (1697–1769), father of John Smith, Doctor Thomas Smith, Joshua Hett Smith, and Chief Justice William Smith
* William Smith (murderer) (1957–2005), executed by the State of Ohio in 2005
* William "Tangier" Smith (1655–1705), Chief Justice of the Province of New York from 1692
* William Trickett Smith (1937–2021), American lawyer who was disbarred
* William Trickett Smith II (born 1981), his son, American drug trafficker convicted of murdering his wife in Peru in 2007

## Military

* Sir Sidney Smith (Royal Navy officer) (William Sidney Smith, 1764–1840), British admiral
* William Smith (1746–1787), commanding officer of the Lincoln minutemen in the battles of Lexington and Concord
* William Alexander Smith (Boys' Brigade) (1854–1914), founder of the Boys' Brigade
* William Danvers Smith, 2nd Viscount Hambleden (1868–1928), known as Frederick Smith, officer in the British Army
* William Douglas Smith (1865–1939), British general
* William D. Smith (1933–2020), United States Navy admiral
* William Duncan Smith (1825–1862), career United States Army officer
* William Farrar Smith (1824–1903), Union Army general
* 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 H. Smith (Medal of Honor) (1847–1877), American Indian Wars soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
* William James Lanyon Smith, New Zealand naval officer
* William Osborne Smith (1833–1887), first Acting Commissioner of the North West Mounted Police
* William Ruthven Smith (1868–1941), United States Army officer
* William Smith (c. 1872–1941), Master of the SS Sauternes, English merchant seaman killed in World War II
* William Smith (Medal of Honor, 1864) (1826–?), American Civil War sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
* William Smith (Medal of Honor, 1869) (1838–?), American Indian Wars soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
* William Smith (Royal Navy officer) (died 1756), served as Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station and rose to Rear Admiral
* William Smith (ship captain) (1768–1846), American ship captain and Revolutionary War veteran
* William Smith (Virginia governor) (1797–1887), Governor of Virginia (1846–1849, 1864–1865) and Confederate general
* William Sooy Smith (1830–1916), American Civil War general
* William Thomas Smith (1896–1994), World War I flying ace
* William Watson Smith (1892–?), World War I flying ace
* William W. Smith (admiral) (1888–1966), United States Navy admiral during World War II
* William Y. Smith (1925–2016), United States Air Force general

## Religion

* William Smith (minister) (died 1647), buried in the Prophet's Grave near Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland
* William Smith (Archdeacon of Armagh) (died 1673), English priest in Ireland
* William Smith (Provost of St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen), 18th-century Scottish priest
* William Smith (Latter Day Saints) (1811–1893), younger brother of Joseph Smith, Jr. and himself a Mormon leader
* William Smith (bishop) (1819–1892), Catholic archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh
* William R. Smith (Mormon) (1826–1894), Mormon leader in Davis County, Utah Territory
* William Saumarez Smith (1836–1909), Anglican bishop/archbishop of Sydney
* William Smith (monsignor) (1939–2009), Catholic theologian
* William Carr Smith (1857–1930), Church of England clergyman
* William Angie Smith (1894–1974), bishop of the Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church

## Science and architecture

* Bill Smith (Motorola engineer) (1929–1993), one of the creators of Six Sigma
* William Gardner Smith (botanist) (1866–1928), Scottish botanist and ecologist
* William Smith (architect) (1817–1891), Scottish architect
* William Smith (geologist) (1769–1839), English geologist
* William Wright Smith (1875–1956), Scottish botanist and horticulturalist
* W. Wheeler Smith (c. 1838–c. 1908), American architect and real estate developer

## Sports
### American football

* Bill Smith (American football, born 1912) (1912–1999), American football end
* Bill Smith (American football, born 1926) (1926–2009), American football tackle and end
* Billy Ray Smith Jr. (born 1961), American football player
* Billy Ray Smith Sr. (1935–2001), American football player
* Wee Willie Smith (American football) (1910–1996), American football player
* William F. Smith (American football) (1888–?), American college football player and coach
* Willie Smith (American football coach) (born 1931), 12th head college football coach for the North Carolina Central University Eagles
* Willie Smith (offensive tackle, born 1937) (born 1937), former American football player
* Willie Smith (offensive tackle, born 1986) (born 1986), American football offensive tackle
* Willie Smith (tight end) (born 1964), American football tight end
* Will Smith (defensive end) (1981–2016), American football defensive end
* Will Smith (linebacker, born 1992), American football linebacker

### Association football

* Bill Smith (footballer, born 1887) (1887–1929), English footballer with Brentford, Southampton and Halifax Town
* Bill Smith (footballer, born 1897) (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) (1926–2014), English footballer with Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers
* Bill Smith (footballer, born 1938), Scottish footballer with Raith Rovers and Darlington
* Bill Smith (soccer), Canadian soccer player, active 1943–1963
* Billy Smith (footballer, born 1872) (1872–?), English footballer with Wolverhampton Wanderers
* Billy Smith (footballer, born 1873) (1873–1914), Scottish footballer for Newcastle United
* Billy Smith (footballer, born 1882) (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) (1900–?), English footballer with Hartlepool United, Huddersfield Town and Rochdale
* Billy Smith (footballer, born 1906) (1906–1963), English footballer with South Shields, Portsmouth and Stockport County
* Billy Smith (Scottish footballer) (c. 1931–2009), Scottish footballer with Aberdeen
* Buxton Smith (William Smith), English footballer with Buxton and Manchester City
* Stockport Smith (William Smith), English footballer with Stockport and Manchester United
* William A. Smith (footballer), English footballer with Blackburn Rovers
* William Smith (footballer, born 1865) (1865–?), English goalkeeper with Burnley
* William Smith (footballer, born 1868) (1868–1907), English footballer with Lincoln City, Loughborough, Notts County and Nottingham Forest
* William Smith (footballer, born 1886) (1886–1956), footballer with Bradford City and Stoke
* William Smith (footballer, born 1903) (1903–?), English footballer
* William Smith (Scottish footballer), footballer with Hibernian
* Willie Smith (footballer, born 1943), Scottish footballer with Brentford
* Willie Smith (footballer, born 1948), English footballer with Wimbledon
* Will Smith (footballer, born 1998), English footballer for Harrogate Town
* W. J. "Billy" Smith, football manager, Aston Villa

### Baseball

* Big Bill Smith (1869–?), Negro leagues baseball catcher and manager
* Bill Smith (baseball executive) (born 1958), Minnesota Twins general manager
* Bill Smith (baseball manager), National Association player-manager for the Baltimore Marylands
* Bill Smith (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 (baseball coach) (born 1930), American minor league first baseman and manager and Major League coach and scout
* Billy Smith (1980s pitcher) (born 1954), American pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1981
* Billy Smith (1880s pitcher) (1861–1928), American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1886
* Billy Smith (second baseman) (born 1953), American infielder in Major League Baseball, 1975–79; 1981
* Willie Smith (outfielder) (1939–2006), American outfielder in Major League Baseball, 1963–1971
* Willie Smith (third baseman), American third baseman in Negro league baseball, 1938
* Willie Smith (1940s pitcher), American pitcher in Negro league baseball, 1948
* Willie Smith (1990s pitcher) (born 1967), American pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1994
* Will Smith (pitcher) (born 1989), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
* Will Smith (catcher) (born 1995), American baseball catcher
* Dark Night Smith (William C. Smith), American pitcher in Negro league baseball, 1920–1924

### Basketball

* Bill Smith (basketball, born 1939), American basketball player
* Wee Willie Smith (1911–1992), American basketball player
* William Smith (basketball, born 1949), American basketball player
* Willie Smith (basketball) (born 1953), American professional basketball player

### Cricket

* Bill Smith (cricketer) (1937–2018), English cricketer
* William Brook-Smith (1885–1952), New Zealand cricketer
* William Smith (cricketer, born 1839) (1839–1897), first class cricketer for Yorkshire
* William Smith (cricketer, born 1875) (1875–1942), first-class cricketer for London County
* William Smith (cricketer, born 1882) (1882–?), English cricketer
* William Smith (cricketer, born 1900) (1900–1990), English cricketer
* William Smith (cricketer, born 1902) (1902–1937), Scottish cricketer
* William Smith (Kent cricketer) (1819–1883), English cricketer
* William Smith (Somerset cricketer) (1871–1946), English cricketer
* Willie Smith (cricketer) (1885–1964), English cricketer
* Will Smith (cricketer) (born 1982), English cricketer

### Rugby football

* Bill Smith, Australian rugby league footballer in the Bulimba Cup
* Bill Smith, rugby league right wing of the 1950s for Whitehaven
* Billy Smith (rugby league, born 1942), Australian rugby league player
* Billy Smith (rugby league, born 1999), Australian rugby league player
* W. Smith (rugby league) (active 1908–1912), Australian rugby league player
* Will Smith (rugby league) (born 1992), Australian rugby league player
* William Smith (rugby union) (1881–1945), New Zealand rugby union player

### Other sports

* Bill Smith (Australian rules footballer) (1936–2010), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy
* Billy Smith (Australian footballer) (1894–1953), played with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League
* Bill Smith (fell runner) (1936–2011), fell runner and author on the sport
* Bill Smith (motorcyclist) (born 1935), former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer
* Bill Smith (poker player) (1934–1996), professional poker player
* Bill Smith (swimmer) (1924–2013), two-time gold medalist in the 1948 Olympic games
* Billy Dee Smith (born 1982), professional lacrosse player
* Billy Smith (ice hockey) (born 1950), Canadian ice hockey goaltender
* Mysterious Billy Smith (1871–1937), Canadian boxer
* Will Smith (ice hockey) (born 2005), American ice hockey forward
* William Alexander Smith (boxer) (1904–1955), South African boxer of the 1920s
* William Smith (cyclist) (1893–1958), South African Olympic cyclist
* William Smith (ice hockey) (born 2005), American hockey player
* William Smith (field hockey) (1886–1937), British field hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
* William Smith (golfer) (1865–1936), American golfer
* William Smith (sport shooter) (1877–1953), Canadian Olympic sport shooter
* William Smith (wrestler) (1928–2018), 1952 Olympic gold medalist
* Willie Smith (billiards player) (1886–1982), English professional player of snooker and English billiards
* Willie Smith (golfer) (1876–1916), Scottish golfer
* Willie Smith (hurdler) (born 1977), Namibian track and field hurdler
* Willie Smith (sprinter) (1956–2020), American 400 metres runner

## Politics
### Australia

* William Collard Smith (1830–1894), treasurer in colonial Victoria (Australia)
* William Laird Smith (1869–1942), Australian representative for Denison, 1910–1922 and Minister for the Navy, 1920–1921
* William Forgan Smith (1887–1953), Premier of the Australian state of Queensland, 1932–1942
* William Kennedy Smith (Australian politician) (1888–1933)

### Canada

* William Smith (Nova Scotia politician) (died 1779), merchant, judge and politician in Nova Scotia
* Amor De Cosmos (William Alexander Smith, 1825–1897), Premier of British Columbia
* William Henry Smith (Canadian politician) (1826–1890), lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada
* William Smith (Canadian politician) (1847–1931), member of Canadian House of Commons 1887–1921
* William C. Smith (politician) (1875–1968), politician from Alberta, Canada
* William Haslam Smith (1891–?), businessman and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada
* William Duncan Smith (politician) (1899–1977), Canadian politician in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
* Bill Smith (Alberta politician) (born 1935), former mayor of Edmonton
* William Smith (Newfoundland politician) (1910–1965), politician in Newfoundland
* J. William Smith, member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

### New Zealand

* William Mein Smith (1798–1869), key actor in the early settlement of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington
* William Cowper Smith (1843–1911), Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand

### United Kingdom

* William Goldsmith alias Smith (died 1517), MP for Gloucester
* William Smith (fl. 1553–54), MP for Newport (Cornwall)
* William Smith (died 1591), MP for Wells
* William Smith (MP for Ripon) (1550–1626), MP for Ripon
* William Smith (MP for Aylesbury) (1568–1620), MP for Aylesbury, 1604
* William Smith (surveyor), fl 1726
* William Smith (Ordnance) (1721–1803), of Chichester, UK, Treasurer of the Ordnance
* William Smith (abolitionist) (1756–1835), grandfather of Florence Nightingale, dissenter and British MP
* William Smith of Carbeth Guthrie (1787–1871), Lord Provost of Glasgow
* William Henry Smith (1825–1891), MP and Cabinet Minister (First Lord of the Admiralty, War Secretary)
* William Masters Smith (1802–1861), Member of Parliament for West Kent
* William Smith (1849–1913), Member of Parliament for North Lonsdale, 1892–1895
* William Smith, 3rd Viscount Hambleden (1903–1948), British peer
* William Smith, 4th Viscount Hambleden (1930–2012), British peer
* William Smith (loyalist) (1954–2016), Northern Irish loyalist politician

### United States

* William Smith (Delaware politician), state politician from Delaware
* William Smith (Maryland politician) (1728–1814), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland (1789–1791)
* William Smith (New York state senator) (1720–1799), New York politician and judge
* William Smith (Oregon politician), Oregon state senator (1890s)
* 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 Smith (Virginia governor) (1797–1887), Governor of Virginia (1846–1849, 1864–1865) and Confederate general
* William Smith (Virginia representative), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia (1821–1827)
* William Alden Smith (1859–1932), member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1895–1906) and U.S. 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 Burns Smith (1844–1917), mayor of Philadelphia
* William C. Smith Jr. (born 1982), Maryland State legislator
* William E. Smith (politician) (1824–1883), Governor of Wisconsin (1878–1882)
* William Ephraim Smith (1829–1890), member of the Confederate (1863–1865) and U.S. (1875–1881) House of Representatives from Georgia
* William Ernest Smith (1890–1973), mayor of Murray, Utah, 1946–1947
* William F. Smith (New York politician) (1901–1950), member of the New York State Assembly (1926–1933)
* William French Smith (1917–1990), U.S. Attorney General (1981–1985)
* William Grover Smith (1857–1921), Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, 1889–1891
* William H. Smith (Connecticut politician) (1842–1915), warden of the Borough of Norwalk, Connecticut
* William Henry Smith (American politician) (1833–1896), newspaper editor and politician, Ohio Secretary of State 1865–1868
* William Hugh Smith (1826–1899), governor of Alabama (1868–1870)
* William J. Smith (Maryland politician) (1850–1906), American politician
* William Jay Smith (Tennessee politician) (1823–1913), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee
* William L. Smith (barber) (1878–?), Socialist barber from Milwaukee who served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly
* William Loughton Smith (1758–1812), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina (1789–1798)
* William Lyman Smith (1878–1964), telephone businessman who served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly and two in the Wisconsin State Senate
* William M. Smith, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives
* William N. H. 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) (1826–1894), 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 Roy Smith (politician) (1920–1993), American politician from Virginia
* William Rudolph Smith (1787–1868), politician in the states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
* 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
* William T. Smith (1916–2010), member of the New York State Senate

## Other persons

* William Smith (conservationist) (1852–1942), New Zealand gardener, naturalist and conservationist
* William Smith (shearer) (1896–1947), perhaps the most skilled sheep-shearer in the first half of the 20th century
* William Smith (mariner) (1790–1847), British mariner and discoverer of the South Shetland Islands
* William Smith (physician), Scottish American physician
* William Smith (registrar) (1816–1895), Ghanaian civil servant
* William Crawford Smith (1837–1899), American architect
* William R. Smith (physician) (born 1973), American emergency physician and wilderness medicine consultant
* William Robert Smith (physician) (1850–1932), British public health expert
* William Tyler Smith (1815–1873), English obstetrician, medical writer and journalist
* William Wragg Smith (1808–1875), American planter, lawyer, naturalist, translator and poet
* William Smith (teacher) (1939-2024), South African science and maths teacher, including educational television
* Billy J. Smith (1946–2019), Australian television and radio presenter
* Bill Smith (scuba diver), participated in the effort to recover Bluebird K7