William Burns

William, Will, or Willie Burns may refer to:

Politics and law

 * William Burns (Scottish historian) (1809–1876), Scottish lawyer and historian
 * William D. Burns (born 1973), Illinois state representative
 * W. Haydon Burns (1912–1987), governor of Florida
 * William Herbert Burns (1878–1964), Canadian politician, merchant, and Olympic curling champion
 * William J. Burns (1861–1932), American director of the Bureau of Investigation (predecessor to the FBI) 1921–1924
 * William J. Burns (diplomat) (born 1956), CIA director and former United States Deputy Secretary of State
 * William L. Burns (1913–2005), member of the New York State Assembly

Sports

 * William Burns (cricketer) (1883–1916), English cricketer
 * William Burns (lacrosse) (1875–1953), Canadian Olympic lacrosse player
 * William Burns (referee) (1952–2019), English football referee
 * Tosher Burns (William Burns, 1902–1984), Irish international footballer of the 1920s
 * Will Burns (racing driver) (born 1990), British racing driver
 * Willie Burns (1916–1966), American Negro league baseball player

Others

 * William Burns (saddler) (1769–1790), brother of Robert Burns the poet
 * William Chalmers Burns (1815–1868), Scottish evangelist and missionary
 * William Wallace Burns (1825–1892), American soldier
 * William Burns (died 1907), victim of lynching in Cumberland, Maryland