Notable William Temples include:

• William Temple, 17th century British politician, employer of Jonathan Swift
• William Temple , Acting Governor of Delaware (1846-1847)
• William Temple, Archbishop of York (1929-1942) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-1944)
• William Temple, VC, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Rev. William Horace Temple was a CCF member of the Ontario legislature from 1948 to 1951 and a life-long temperance crusader.