What is the term for a person who is the beneficiary of personal property by a will?

The term for a person who receives personal property through a will is "legatee." This designation specifically refers to individuals who inherit personal items or assets as stipulated in a deceased person's will.

In this context, a legatee is differentiated from other roles in the realm of wills and estates. For instance, a devisee generally refers to someone who receives real property (like land or buildings) through a will, not personal property. The term grantor is used to denote a person who creates a trust or conveys property, often in the context of estate planning but does not directly relate to the inheritance of property through a will. An executor, on the other hand, is the person appointed to administer the estate of the deceased, ensuring that the will's terms are carried out, but does not inherit property themselves.

Understanding these distinctions helps clarify the roles and terminology involved in estate succession and the distribution of assets upon death.