William Yewdale Adams (August 6, 1927 – August 22, 2019) was an emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Kentucky. He was the winner of the 1978 Herskovits Prize for his history of Nubia, Nubia: Corridor to Africa. In 2005 Adams was awarded the Order of the Two Niles, Sudan's highest civilian honor, for his contributions to Nubian history.