- Feb 2 Curtis Guild, Jr., American politician, journalist and soldier, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (1906-09), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1915)
- Feb 6 Eliza Johannes Meester, Dutch journalist and writer (Geertje), born in Harderwijk, Netherlands (d. 1931)
- Feb 11 Rachilde [Marguerite Vallette-Eymery], French author (Monsieur Venus), born near Périgueux, France (d. 1953)
- Feb 14 Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and liberal politician, born in Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1954)
- Feb 14 Waldemar Lindgren, Swedish-American Geologist (economic geology, ore classification), born in Vassmolösa, Kalmar, Sweden (d. 1939)
- Feb 18 Anders Zorn, Swedish painter, etcher and sculptor (Gustavus Vasa), born in Mora, Sweden-Norway (d. 1920)
- Feb 21 Goscombe John, Welsh sculptor (d. 1952)
- Feb 21 Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod, Czech journalist (d. 1927)
- Feb 24 Daniel Berkeley Updike, American printer, publisher and writer (Printing Types), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1941)
- Feb 25 Menso Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch painter, born in Brussels (d. 1925)
- Feb 25 William Ashley, English economic historian (The Economic Organisation of England), born in London, England (d. 1927)
- Feb 29 Herman Hollerith, American inventor (1st electric tabulating machine), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1929)