- Dec 2 Jacob Rosenhaim, Jewish-German composer, born in Mannheim, Grand Duchy of Baden (d. 1894)
- Dec 10 Errico Petrella, Italian composer, born in Palermo, Italy (d. 1877)
- Dec 10 Zachariah Chandler, American merchant and politician (found Republican Party), born in Bedford, New Hampshire (d. 1879)
- Dec 19 Thomas Andrews, Irish chemist and physicist (ozone), born in Belfast (d. 1885)
- Dec 20 Samuel Jordan Kirkwood, American politician (Gov-Iowa)/US Sect of Interior (1881-82), born in Harford Country, Maryland (d. 1894)
- Dec 24 Henry Wellington Greatorex, English-American musician, born in Burton upon Trent, England (d. 1853)
- Dec 25 Milledge Luke Bonham, (Confederacy) (d. 1890)
- Dec 29 Etienne-Joseph Soubre, Belgian composer, born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1871)
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