Academics

• William Smith (1556–1615), English academic and head of Clare College at the University of Cambridge
• William Smith (c. 1653–1735), English historian who studied old artifacts and worked at University College, Oxford
• William Smith (1711–1787), English expert in ancient languages and Anglican church leader in Chester
• William Smith (1727–1803), Scottish-born priest in the Episcopal Church and first leader of the University of Pennsylvania
• William Pitt Smith (1760–1796), American doctor, teacher, and writer about religion
• William Andrew Smith (1802–1870), American college leader and church clergyman
• William Smith (1813–1893), English editor and publisher of dictionaries
• William Robertson Smith (1846–1894), Scottish scientist who studied ancient languages, physics, archaeology, and religious texts
• William Benjamin Smith (1850–1934), American math teacher at Tulane University
• William Ramsay Smith (1859–1937), Australian scientist who studied human cultures and societies
• William George Smith (1866–1918), Scottish scientist who studied the mind and behavior
• William Hall Smith (1866–after 1920), leader of Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College from 1916 to 1920
• William Cunningham Smith (1871–1943), American teacher of English literature, university leader, and writer
• William Roy Smith (1876–1938), American teacher and historian
• William Charles Smith (1881–1972), English expert in music history and theory
• William Newton-Smith (1943–2023), scientist who studied how science works and the nature of scientific knowledge
• Willie W. Smith (1907–1989), American scientist who studied how the body works

Arts and entertainment

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

• William Smith (poet) (before 1570–after 1606), English poet who wrote sonnets
• 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 in 1933), first African American to win the Coty Award
• Willi Smith (1948–1987), American fashion designer
• Will Smith, American tech journalist, founder of Tested.com in 2010

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

• Barkin' Bill Smith (1928–2000), American Chicago blues singer
• Bill Smith (Canadian musician) (born in 1938), Canadian record producer, musician, writer, and editor
• Bill Smith (English musician) (born in 1940), founding member of the Quarrymen
• Bill Smith (jazz musician) (1926–2020), folk jazz clarinetist and professor at the University of Washington
• Major Bill Smith (1922–1994), American record producer and executive
• William Smith (composer) (1603–1645), English composer from 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), an entrepreneur who owned businesses selling newspapers and books. William Henry Smith (1825–1891), his son, was a politician.
• William Smith (1818–1912), a businessman who owned a plant nursery and supported Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
• William Reardon Smith (1856–1935), a British shipowner.
• Willie Reardon Smith (1887–1950), also a British shipowner.
• William Wensley Smith (1887–1955), the founder of W. W. Smith Insurance Ltd.

Law and crime

• Sir William Cusack-Smith, 2nd Baronet (1766–1836), a baronet
• William W. Smith (Arkansas judge) (1838–1888), a justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
• William A. Smith (Iowa judge) (1870–1958), a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
• William A. Smith (Kansas judge) (1888–1968), an Associate Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court
• William E. Smith (judge) (born 1959), a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
• Sir William James Smith (1853–1912), a British judge who served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Cyprus, British Guiana, and the Transvaal
• William Francis Smith (1904–1968), a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• William Kennedy Smith (born 1960), a physician and member of the Kennedy family who was acquitted of rape in 1991
• William Nimmo Smith, Lord Nimmo Smith (born 1942), a former Senator of the College of Justice and a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland
• William Owen Smith (1848–1929), a lawyer involved in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii
• William Redwood Smith (1851–1935), an Associate Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court
• William Scott Smith (born 1959), an American serial killer and kidnapper
• William Smith (judge, born 1728) (1728–1793), a 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), the 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), an American lawyer who was disbarred
• William Trickett Smith II (born 1981), his son, an 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), leader of the Lincoln minutemen during 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 (admiral) (1933–2020), United States Navy admiral
• William Duncan Smith (1825–1862), United States Army officer and Confederate general
• William Farrar Smith (1824–1903), Union Army general
• William F. Smith (US Army Air Corps), pilot of 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 in 1647), buried in the Prophet's Grave near Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland
• William Smith (Archdeacon of Armagh) (died in 1673), an English priest who worked in Ireland
• William Smith (Provost of St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen), an 18th-century Scottish priest
• William Smith (Latter Day Saints) (1811–1893), the younger brother of Joseph Smith, Jr., and a leader in the Mormon Church
• William Smith (bishop) (1819–1892), a Catholic archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh
• William R. Smith (Mormon) (1826–1894), a Mormon leader in Davis County, Utah Territory
• William Saumarez Smith (1836–1909), an Anglican bishop or archbishop of Sydney
• William Smith (monsignor) (1939–2009), a Catholic theologian
• William Carr Smith (1857–1930), a clergyman in the Church of England
• William Angie Smith (1894–1974), a bishop in the Methodist Church and later in the United Methodist Church

Science and architecture

• Bill Smith (1929–1993), an engineer at Motorola who helped create Six Sigma
• William Gardner Smith (1866–1928), a Scottish scientist who studied plants and ecosystems
• William Smith (1817–1891), a Scottish architect who designed buildings
• William Smith (1769–1839), an English scientist who studied rocks and Earth's history
• William Wright Smith (1875–1956), a Scottish scientist who studied plants and gardening
• W. Wheeler Smith (about 1838–about 1908), an American architect and real estate developer

Sports

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

• Bill Smith (footballer, born in 1887) (1887 to 1929), English footballer who played for Brentford, Southampton, and Halifax Town
• Bill Smith (footballer, born in 1897) (1897 to ?), English footballer who played for Durham City and York City
• Bill Smith (footballer, born in 1906) (1906 to 1979), English footballer who played for Norwich City and Exeter City
• Bill Smith (footballer, born in 1926) (1926 to 2014), English footballer who played for Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers
• Bill Smith (footballer, born in 1938), Scottish footballer who played for Raith Rovers and Darlington
• Bill Smith (soccer), Canadian soccer player who played from 1943 to 1963
• Billy Smith (footballer, born in 1872) (1872 to ?), English footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers
• Billy Smith (footballer, born in 1873) (1873 to 1914), Scottish footballer who played for Newcastle United
• Billy Smith (footballer, born in 1882) (1882 to ?), English footballer who played for Blackburn Rovers
• Billy Smith (footballer, born in 1894) (1894 to 1953), Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League
• Bill Smith (fell runner) (1936 to 2011), fell runner and author on the sport
• Bill Smith (motorcyclist) (born in 1935), former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer
• Bill Smith (poker player) (1934 to 1996), professional poker player
• Bill Smith (swimmer) (1924 to 2013), two-time gold medalist in the 1948 Olympic games
• Billy Dee Smith (born in 1982), Canadian former professional lacrosse player
• Billy Smith (ice hockey) (born in 1950), Canadian ice hockey goaltender
• Mysterious Billy Smith (1871 to 1937), Canadian boxer
• Will Smith (ice hockey) (born in 2005), American ice hockey forward
• William Alexander Smith (boxer) (1904 to 1955), South African boxer of the 1920s
• William Smith (cyclist, born in 1893) (1893 to 1958), South African Olympic cyclist
• William Smith (cyclist, born in 2004) (2004 to ?), British cyclist
• William Smith (ice hockey) (born in 2005), American hockey player
• William Smith (field hockey) (1886 to 1937), British field hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
• William Smith (sport shooter) (1877 to 1953), Canadian Olympic sport shooter
• William Smith (wrestler) (1928 to 2018), 1952 Olympic gold medalist
• Willie Smith (billiards player) (1886 to 1982), English professional player of snooker and English billiards
• Willie Smith (golfer) (1876 to 1916), Scottish golfer
• Willie Smith (hurdler) (born in 1

Politics

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

• William Smith (1779), merchant, judge, and politician in Nova Scotia, Canada
• Amor De Cosmos (William Alexander Smith, 1825–1897), Premier of British Columbia, Canada
• William Henry Smith (1826–1890), lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada
• William Smith (1847–1931), member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1887 to 1921
• William C. Smith (1875–1968), politician from Alberta, Canada
• William Haslam Smith (1891–1958), businessman and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada
• William Duncan Smith (1899–1977), Canadian politician in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
• Bill Smith (born 1935), former mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• William Smith (1910–1965), politician in Newfoundland, Canada
• J. William Smith, member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada

• William Mein Smith (1798–1869), key figure in the early settlement of Wellington, New Zealand
• William Cowper Smith (1843–1911), Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand

• William Goldsmith alias Smith (died 1517), Member of Parliament for Gloucester, UK
• William Smith (lived around 1553–1554), Member of Parliament for Newport, Cornwall, UK
• William Smith (died 1591), Member of Parliament for Wells, UK
• William Smith (1550–1626), Member of Parliament for Ripon, UK
• William Smith (1568–1620), Member of Parliament for Aylesbury, UK in 1604
• William Smith (lived around 1726), surveyor in the UK
• William Smith (1721–1803), Treasurer of the Ordnance in Chichester, UK
• William Smith (1756–1835), British Member of Parliament and grandfather of Florence Nightingale
• William Smith of Carbeth Guthrie (1787–1871), Lord Provost of Glasgow, Scotland
• William Henry Smith (1825–1891), British Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister (First Lord of the Admiralty, War Secretary)
• William Masters Smith (1802–1861), Member of Parliament for West Kent, UK
• William Smith (1849–1913), Member of Parliament for North Lonsdale, UK from 1892 to 1895
• William Smith, 3rd Viscount Hambleden (1903–1948), British peer
• William Smith, 4th Viscount Hambleden (1930–2012), British peer
• William Smith (1954–2016), Northern Irish politician and loyalist

• William Smith (Delaware politician), state politician from Delaware, USA
• William Smith (1728–1814), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland (1789–1791)
• William Smith (1720–1799), New York politician and judge
• William Smith (1890s), Oregon state senator
• William Smith (1751–1837), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina (1797–1798)
• William Smith (1762–1840), U.S. Senator from South Carolina (1815–1830)
• William Smith (1797–1887), Governor of Virginia (1846–1849, 1864–1865) and Confederate general
• William Smith, 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 (1828–1888), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1873–1874)
• William Burns Smith (1844–1917), mayor of Philadelphia, USA
• William C. Smith Jr. (born 1982), Maryland State legislator
• William E. Smith (1824–1883), Governor of Wisconsin (1878–1882)
• William Ephraim Smith (1829–1890), member of the Confederate and U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia (1863–1865, 1875–1881)
• William Ernest Smith (1890–1973), mayor of Murray, Utah (1946–1947)
• William F. Smith (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 (1842–1915), warden of the Borough of Norwalk, Connecticut
• William Henry Smith (1833–1896), newspaper editor and politician, Ohio Secretary of State (1865–1868)
• William Hugh Smith (1826–

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