Sir Rawson William Rawson, was a British government official and statistician. During his tenure as a public servant in Canada he contributed to the Report on the affairs of the Indians in Canada, a foundational document in the establishment of the Canadian Indian residential school system.

William Stepney Rawson was an amateur footballer who played at full-back in the 1870s, and was also an FA Cup Final referee in 1876. Born in Cape Colony, he played for the England national team.