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.^{[citation needed]}

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 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
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 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

Fictional characters

See also