Vanessa L. Williams is most often referenced and publicly recognized simply as "Vanessa Williams". There is, however, occasional confusion with similarly-named actress Vanessa A. Williams, who first came to national notice in 1992, when she appeared in the first season of Melrose Place. Both are African-American. It is reported that Williams (VLW) first became aware of Vanessa A. Williams (VAW) in the 1980s when her New York University registrar told her that another, similarly aged girl with the same name and from the same state had applied. When VLW appeared as Miss America in a Macy's Day Parade, VAW accidentally received her check for the appearance (which she returned).

In the area of acting, the two ran into name conflict when Screen Actors Guild rules prohibited duplicate stage naming. VAW had registered the name "Vanessa Williams" first, so as a compromise, VLW was occasionally credited as "Vanessa L. Williams" in acting credits. To compound the confusion, both actresses starred in versions of the drama Soul Food (VLW in the film version, and VAW in its TV series adaptation). The Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration and decided that both actresses could use the professional name "Vanessa Williams". Today the stage name "Vanessa Williams" has widely come to be solely attributable to VLW. She is credited as such in the American television series Ugly Betty, and as owner of the internet domain name vanessawilliams.com. To differentiate, VAW is most often publicly and professionally referenced as "Vanessa A. Williams".

In a 1997 interview with Playboy magazine, VLW claims VAW made a "catty remark" about her when VAW appeared in a Broadway play. A year later, VLW told Canoe.ca: "(The other Vanessa Williams) registered the name first, but I made the name famous so I have more claim to it these days". There is also another singer named Vanessa Williams, a gospel vocalist.

• Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) .... Vita
• "Ugly Betty" .... Wilhelmina Slater (60 episodes, 2006-2009)
       - The Sex Issue (2009) TV episode .... Wilhelmina Slater
       - A Mother of a Problem (2009) TV episode .... Wilhelmina Slater
       - Sugar Daddy (2009) TV episode .... Wilhelmina Slater
       - Things Fall Apart (2009) TV episode .... Wilhelmina Slater
       - There's No Place Like Mode (2009) TV episode .... Wilhelmina Slater
        (55 more)
• "Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies" .... Mama Mirabelle (12 episodes, 2007-2008)
       - Have You Heard?/This Is Mama's World (2008) TV episode (voice) .... Mama Mirabelle
       - Muddy Wonderland/Do You See What I See? (2008) TV episode (voice) .... Mama Mirabelle
       - Come Out of Your Shell/Travels with Mama (2007) TV episode (voice) .... Mama Mirabelle
       - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow/Nobody's Perfect (2007) TV episode (voice) .... Mama Mirabelle
       - What's in a Tail?/Footprints in the Sand (2007) TV episode (voice) .... Mama Mirabelle
        (7 more)
• And Then Came Love (2007) .... Juile
• The Beautiful World of Ugly Betty (2007) (TV) (also archive footage) .... Narrator / Wilhelmina Slater
• My Brother (2006) .... L'Tisha Morton
• "South Beach" .... Elizabeth Bauer (8 episodes, 2006)
       - It Looked Like Somebody's Nightmare (2006) TV episode .... Elizabeth Bauer
       - The S.B. (2006) TV episode .... Elizabeth Bauer
       - I'll Do What I Want to Do (2006) TV episode .... Elizabeth Bauer
       - Who Do You Trust (2006) TV episode .... Elizabeth Bauer
       - Every Day Above Ground Is a Good Day (2006) TV episode .... Elizabeth Bauer
        (3 more)
• Johnson Family Vacation (2004) .... Dorothy Johnson
• Beck and Call (2004) (TV) .... Zoe
• "Boomtown" .... Detective Katherine Pierce (6 episodes, 2003)
       - The Big Picture (2003) TV episode .... Detective Katherine Pierce
       - Haystack (2003) TV episode .... Detective Katherine Pierce
       - The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang (2003) TV episode .... Detective Katherine Pierce
       - Wannabe (2003) TV episode .... Detective Katherine Pierce
       - Inadmissible (2003) TV episode .... Detective Katherine Pierce
        (1 more)
• "Ally McBeal" .... Sheila Hunt (1 episode, 2002)
       - Another One Bites the Dust (2002) TV episode .... Sheila Hunt