William Hilton Jr (1617-1675) was an English explorer who explored the coast of The Carolinas in what is today the United States. Hilton was born in 1617, Northwich, Cheshire, England. His father came to the New England colonies in 1621, with William Jr and his mother following two years later. In August 1662, Hilton sailed from Massachusetts Bay Colony on the ship Adventurer, returning in October of that year with enough information to map the Cape Fear coast. In 1663, Hilton made a second voyage to the area on the Adventurer. Hilton died in 1675.