- Feb 9 Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese samurai (d. 1611)
- Feb 14 Christianus Adrichomius, Dutch Catholic priest and writer (Vita Jesu Christi), born in Delft, Netherlands (d. 1585)
- Feb 28 Michel de Montaigne, French philosopher and essayist (Essais), born in Château de Montaigne, Aquitaine, France (d. 1592)
- Apr 8 Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer, born in Correggio, Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Papal States (d. 1604)
William I of Orange (1533-1584)
Apr 24 Dutch nobleman and revolutionary known as 'the Silent' who led the revolt against Spanish rule and founded the House of Orange-Nassau ( Prince of Orange, 1544-84), born in Dillenburg, County of Nassau, Holy Roman Empire
- Jun 24 Robert Dudley, English Earl of Leicester, favourite of Elizabeth I, English commander-in-chief in the Netherlands, born in England (d. 1588)
- Aug 2 Theodor Zwinger, Swiss physician and scholar, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1588)
- Aug 7 Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga, Basque soldier and poet, born in Madrid (d. 1595)
Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Sep 7 Queen of England and Ireland (1558-1603) and daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, born in Greenwich, London
Year of the Rabbit
Year of the Dragon
Year of the Snake
Year of the Horse
Year of the Goat/Sheep
Year of the Monkey