Leaders and Royalty:
* William the Conqueror: King of England from 1066 to 1087, known for his conquest of England.
* William Shakespeare: English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.
* Winston Churchill: British Prime Minister during World War II, renowned for his leadership and speeches.
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Austrian composer, one of the most influential figures in the history of Western music.
* Walt Disney: American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor, and film producer, creator of the Walt Disney Company.
* Victoria: Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 to 1901.
* William Wallace: Scottish warrior, fought against English rule in the late 13th century, portrayed in the film "Braveheart".
* Wladyslaw II Jagiello: King of Poland from 1386 to 1434, founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty.
Other Notable Figures:
* Walt Whitman: American poet, known for his free verse poetry and celebration of democracy.
* William Wordsworth: English Romantic poet, known for his nature poems.
* William Blake: English poet, painter, and printmaker, known for his mystical and visionary works.
* William Wilberforce: British politician and abolitionist, instrumental in the abolition of the slave trade.
* William Herschel: German-born British astronomer, discovered the planet Uranus.
* Wolfgang Pauli: Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize winner for his discovery of the exclusion principle.
* W.E.B. Du Bois: American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and Pan-Africanist.
* Wilma Rudolph: American track and field athlete, won three gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
This is just a small selection, and there are many more historically famous individuals whose names begin with W.