- Dec 5 Edwin Blashfield, American painter who decorated the dome of Library of Congress, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1936)
- Dec 9 Joel Chandler Harris, American writer (created Uncle Remus stories), born in Eatonton, Georgia (d. 1908)
- Dec 12 William Kissam Vanderbilt, American businessman, born in New Dorp, Staten Island, New York (d. 1920)
- Dec 17 Frederick Grant Gleason, American composer, born in Middletown, Connecticut (d. 1903)
- Dec 18 Karl Schröder II, German composer, born in Quedlinburg, Prussian Saxony (d. 1935)
- Dec 21 Edward Everett Rice, American pioneer producer and composer of musical theater, born in Brighton, Massachusetts (d. 1924)
- Dec 30 Mary Frances Allitsen, British composer, born in London, England (d. 1912)
Greatest Generation
Silent Generation
Baby Boomer
Generation X
Millennial
Generation Z