William Adams

William Adams may refer to:

Military

• William Adams (Royal Navy officer) (died 1748), British naval officer
• William Adams (Royal Navy officer, born 1716) (1716–1763), British naval officer
• William Adams (sailor) (1564–1620), English sailor and visitor to Japan
• William E. Adams (1939–1971), US Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient
• William Wirt Adams (1819–1888), Confederate States of America army general

Musicians

• Billy Adams, banjo player, a former member of Dexys Midnight Runners
• will.i.am (William James Adams, Jr., born 1975), musician, producer; member of The Black Eyed Peas
• Willy Northpole (William Adams, born 1980), rapper signed to Ludacris' DTP Records

Politicians

• Acton Adams (William Acton Blakeway Adams, 1843–1924),New Zealand politician
• Billy Adams (William Herbert Adams, 1861–1954), Governor of Colorado
• William Adams (British Columbia politician) (1851–1936), rancher and politician in British Columbia, Canada
• William Adams (1752–1811), MP for Totnes
• William Adams (New Zealand politician) (1811–1884), New Zealand politician
• William E. Adams (New York) (1922–1983), New York politician
• William G. Adams (1923–2005), Canadian politician
• William Henry Adams (1809–1865), British Conservative MP for Boston and Chief Justice of Hong Kong
• William Taylor Adams (1822–1897), author & politician
• William Thomas Adams (1884–1949), British Member of Parliament for Hammersmith South, 1945–1949
• Willie Adams (born 1934), Canadian politician

Science, technology and philosophy

• William Adams (locomotive engineer) (1823–1904), British locomotive engineer
• William Adams (master) (1706/7–1789), English scholar
• William Adams (oculist) (1783–1827), English ophthalmic surgeon
• William Bridges Adams (1797–1872), British inventor, author & locomotive engineer
• William Grylls Adams (1836–1915), professor of natural philosophy

Sportspeople

• Bill Adams (American football) (born 1950), former Buffalo Bills offensive guard
• Bill Adams (American football coach), American college football coach
• Bill Adams (Australian footballer) (1900–1973), former VFL player and coach
• Bill Adams (footballer, born 1902) (1902–1963), former Southampton FC right half back
• Bill Adams (footballer, born 1921) (1921–1997), English footballer
• Bill Adams (ice hockey) (1897–1978), Canadian ice hockey player
• Billy Adams (footballer, born 1897) (1897–1945), footballer for Barrow and West Bromwich Albion
• Billy Adams (footballer, born 1919) (1919–1989), English footballer
• William Adams (cricketer) (1885–1957), English cricketer
• William Adams (footballer), footballer who played for Walsall and West Bromwich Albion
• Willie Adams (1910s pitcher) (1890–1937), American baseball player
• Willie Adams (1990s pitcher) (born 1972), American baseball player (Oakland Athletics)
• Willie Adams (American football) (born 1941), American football player
• Willie Adams (basketball), American basketball player

Writers

• William Adams (author) (1814–1848), English religious writer
• William Davenport Adams (1851–1904), English writer and journalist, son of W. H. D. Adams
• William Henry Davenport Adams (1828–1891), English writer and journalist
• William Y. Adams (born 1927), American author of Nubia: Corridor to Africa
• W. E. Adams (1832–1906), English radical and journalist

Other uses

• William Adams (haberdasher) (1585–1661), London haberdasher and founder of Adams' Grammar School
• William Adams (lawyer) (1772–1851), English lawyer, helped negotiate settlements with the US c.1814/1815
• William Adams (minister) (1807–1880), US religious leader and college president
• William Adams (potter) (c. 1746–1805), North Staffordshire potter, founded the Greengates Pottery
• William Bridges-Adams (1889–1965), British stage director
• William Drea Adams, president of Bucknell University, 1995–2000; president of Colby College, 2000–2014
• William Adams (mining engineer) (1813–1876)
• William Forbes Adams (1833–1920), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton
• William L. Adams (1821–1906), American writer, newspaper editor and doctor from Oregon