- Jan 6 José Melchor Gomis, Spanish Romantic composer, born in Ontinyent, Spain (d. 1836)
- Jan 8 Jacob Collamer, American politician (Sen-Vt), born in Troy, New York (d. 1865)
- Jan 14 Calvin Phillips, American midget and shortest known adult male (67 cm; 2' 2"), born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts (d. 1812)
- Jan 15 Franz Gillparzer, Austrian tragic dramatist (Golden Fleece), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1872)
- Jan 28 (Louis Joseph) Ferdinand Hérold, French pianist, violinist, and composer of over twenty operas, born in Paris, Feance (d. 1833)
- Feb 1 Charles-Joseph Sax, Belgian music instrument builder of wind and brass instruments whose son invented the saxophone, born in Dinant, Wallonia, Belgium (d. 1865)
- Feb 12 Jan David Zocher Jr., Dutch garden architect (Vondelpark, Amsterdam), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1870)
- Feb 12 Peter Cooper, American industrialist, inventor and philanthropist (Cooper Union, steam locomotive), born in New York City (d. 1883)
- Feb 20 Carl Czerny, Czech-Austrian pianist, composer (Schule der Virtuosen), student of Ludwig van Beethoven, and teacher of Franz Liszt, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1857)
- Mar 6 Anna Claypoole Peale, American painter of miniatures, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1878)
- Mar 9 George Hayward, American surgeon, 1st to use ether (d. 1863)
- Mar 15 Charles Knight, English publisher (The Penny Cyclopaedia), born in Windsor, England (d. 1873)
- Mar 31 Franciszek Wincenty Mirecki, Polish composer, conductor and pedagogue, born in Kraków, Poland (d. 1862)
- Apr 3 Anne Lister, English diarist 'the 1st modern lesbian', born in Halifax, England (d. 1840)
- Apr 9 George Peacock, English mathematician (algebraic theory), born in County Durham, England (d. 1858)
- Apr 12 Francis Preston Blair, American journalist and newspaper editor (Washington Globe), born in Abingdon, Virginia (d. 1876)
James Buchanan (1791-1868)
Apr 23 15th US President (1857-61), born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania
- Apr 24 Nikolaj Bestuzhev, Russian Navy officer, writer and painter (Decembrist revolt), born in Saint Petersburg (d. 1855)
Samuel Morse (1791-1872)
Apr 27 American inventor (telegraph, Morse code) and painter, born in Charlestown, Massachusetts
- May 11 Jan Václav Voříšek, Czech pianist, organist, and composer, born in Vamberk, Kingdom of Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1825)
- May 15 Baron Floris van Hall, Dutch nobleman and politician (Prime Minister 1853-56, and 1860-61), born in Amsterdam, Dutch Republic (now Netherlands) (d. 1866)
- May 29 Pietro Romani, Italian conductor and composer, born in Rome, Roman Republic (d. 1877)
- Jun 9 John Howard Payne, American actor, playwright (Fair Warning), author and creator of the hit song "Home! Sweet Home!", born in New York City (d. 1852)
- Jun 9 Thomas L. Jennings, American tailor and inventor (dry-cleaning), abolitionist, and desegregationist, born in New York City (d. 1856) [birth date is uncertain, but taken from burial record; many sources cite default of Jan. 1] [1]
- Jun 21 Robert Napier, Scottish marine engineer, born in Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland (d. 1876)
- Jun 30 Félix Savart, French surgeon and physicist (law of Biot & Savart), born in Mézières, France (d. 1841)
- Jul 9 Nicolás Ledesma, Spanish organist and composer, born in Grisel, Spain (d. 1883)
- Jul 26 Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer and 6th child of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1844)
- Sep 1 Lydia Sigourney (née Huntley), American poet and writer (How to Be Happy; Letter of Life), known as "the Sweet Singer of Hartford", born in Norwich, Connecticut (d. 1865)
- Sep 3 Francisco Acuña de Figueroa, Uruguayan poet (Toraidas), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 1862)
- Sep 5 Giacomo Meyerbeer, German opera composer (Gott und die Natur - God and Nature), born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (now Germany) (d. 1864)
- Sep 20 Sergey Aksakov, Russian writer (Semejnaja chronika), born in Ufa, Russian Empire (d. 1859) [NS 10/01]
Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
Sep 22 English scientist, discovered electromagnetic induction, invented 1st electric motor, born in Newington Butts, England
- Sep 23 Johann Franz Encke, German astronomer (Encke Comet), born in Hamburg, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1865)
- Sep 23 Theodor Körner, German soldier and poet (Zriny, Leyer und Schwerdt), born in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1813)
Théodore Géricault (1791-1824)
Sep 26 French painter (The Raft of the Medusa), born in Rouen, Normandy, France
- Oct 1 Sergey Aksakov, Russian novelist (Chronicles of a Russian Family), born in Ufa, Russian Empire (d. 1859) [OS 09/20]
- Oct 26 Charles Sprague, American banker and poet (Curiosity), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1875)
- Oct 31 Ferdinand Huber, Swiss composer, born in St. Gallen, Switzerland (d. 1863)
- Nov 11 Josef Munzinger, Swiss Federal Councillor, born in Olten, Switzerland (d. 1855)
- Dec 4 Johann Gottlob Topfer, German composer, born in Niederroßla (d. 1870)
- Dec 9 Peter Josef von Lindpaintner, German composer, born in Koblenz, Germany (d. 1856)
- Dec 12 Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma and second wife of Napoleon, born in Hofburg, Vienna, Austria (d. 1847)
- Dec 14 Charles Wolfe, Irish poet, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1823)
- Dec 24 Eugène Scribe, French dramatist (Bertrand et Raton), born in Paris, France (d. 1861)
Charles Babbage (1791-1871)
Dec 26 British mathematician and inventor (calculating machine) considered the "father of the computer", born in 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