William Oates (born 17 July 1862, date of death unknown) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1886.
Oates was born in Heanor, Derbyshire, and made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1886 season in July against Lancashire, when he scored 2 and 4. He played two further matches that season, against Sussex and Surrey, without making much impact. He was a right-handed batsman and played 3 innings in 3 first-class matches with an average of 2.00 and a top score of 4. He was a right-arm medium-round arm bowler but did not bowl for Derbyshire.
His date and place of death are currently unrecorded.