William Emerson may refer to:
- William Emerson (mathematician) (1701–1782), English mathematician
- William Emerson (minister) (1769–1811), Unitarian minister, father of Ralph Waldo Emerson
- William Emerson (architect) (1843–1924), British architect
- William Emerson (footballer) (1891–1961), British footballer for Burnley and Glentoran
- William Emerson (journalist) (1923–2009), U.S. journalist
- William Ralph Emerson (1833–1917), American architect
- Bill Emerson (1938–1996), U.S. politician from Missouri
- Bill Emerson (musician) (born 1938), American country music performer
- William Emerson, Sr. (died 1776), minister and grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson
- William Henry Emerson (1860–1924), American chemist
- William Keith Emerson (born 1925), American malacologist
- William A. Emerson, retired senior vice president and national sales director of Merrill Lynch
William Emerson is also the given name of:
- Billy "The Kid" Emerson (born 1925), a preacher and former R&B and rock and roll singer and songwriter
- William Emerson Barrett (1858–1906), American journalist and politician
- William Emerson Brock (1872–1950), U.S. Senator from Tennessee
- William Emerson Brock III (born 1930), known as Bill Brock, U.S. Senator from Tennessee and 18th U.S. Secretary of Labor
- William Emerson Ritter (1856–1944), American biologist
Famous quotes containing the word emerson:
“Let the realist not mind appearances. Let him delegate to others the costly courtesies and decorations of social life. The virtues are economists, but some of the vices are also. Thus, next to humility, I have noticed that pride is a pretty good husband. A good pride is, as I reckon it, worth from five hundred to fifteen hundred a year.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)