- May 1 William Steele, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Albany, New York (d. 1885)
- May 3 Nicola De Giosa, Italian composer, born in Bari, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (d. 1885)
- May 5 Stanisław Moniuszko, Polish conductor, composer (Straszny dwór - The Haunted Manor), and teacher, born in Ubiel, Minsk Governate, Russian Empire (now Belarus) (d. 1872)
- May 15 Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, American lawyer, politician, and Major General (Union Army), born in Russellville, Kentucky (d. 1893)
- May 16 Daniel Ammen, Capt (Union Navy), (d. 1898)
- May 17 Johann Nepomuk Kafka, Bohemian pianist and composer, born in Neustadt an der Mettau, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1886)
- May 18 Julius Hopp, Austrian composer, born in Vienna (d. 1885)
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
May 24 Queen of the United Kingdom and Ireland (1837-1901), born in London
- May 27 Julia Ward Howe, American poet (Battle Hymn of the Republic), author, abolitionist, and women's suffragist, born in New York City (d. 1910)
- May 28 William Birney, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 1907)
- May 30 William McMurdo, British army officer (d. 1894)
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
May 31 American poet (Leaves of Grass) and volunteer nurse during the Civil War, born in West Hills, New York
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
80-89
Over 90