Here are the famous people who were born in May. Look down the list and see if the person born on the day of the month matches yours if you were born in May.
1
- 1672 - Joseph Addison, English politician and writer
- 1730 - Sir Joshua Rowley, 1st Baronet, English admiral
- 1738 - King Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii
- 1764 - Benjamin Henry Latrobe, English-American architect, designed the United States Capitol
- 1769 - Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Anglo-Irish statesman
- 1803 - James Clarence Mangan, Irish poet
- 1824 - Alexander William Williamson, English chemist
- 1825 - Johann Jakob Balmer, Swiss mathematician
- 1825 - George Inness, American painter
- 1827 - Jules Breton, French painter
- 1829 - José de Alencar, Brazilian novelist
- 1829 - Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys, English painter
- 1830 - Guido Gezelle, Flemish poet and priest
- 1831 - Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and suffragist
2
- 1660 - Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer
- 1695 - Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French decorator and architect
- 1702 - Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian
- 1707 - Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer
- 1729 - Catherine the Great, Russian empress
- 1737 - William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, English statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1740 - Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and statesman
- 1750 - John André, English army officer
- 1752 - Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboist and composer
- 1754 - Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer
- 1772 - Novalis, German writer
- 1773 - Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher
- 1802 - Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist
- 1806 - Catherine Labouré, French visionary and saint
- 1808 - Emma Wedgwood, English naturalist, wife of Charles Darwin
- 1810 - Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer
- 1815 - William Buell Richards, Canadian judge
- 1828 - Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist
3
- 1695 - Henri Pitot, Italian-French engineer and inventor of the Pitot tube
- 1713 - Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician
- 1729 - Florian Leopold Gassmann, German-Bohemian composer
- 1761 - August von Kotzebue, German dramatist and author
- 1764 - Princess Élisabeth of France
- 1768 - Charles Tennant, Scottish chemist and industrialist
- 1814 - Adams George Archibald, Canadian lawyer and politician, father of the Confederation
- 1826 - Charles XV of Sweden
- 1835 - Alfred Austin, English poet
4
- 1655 - Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian musical instrument maker, inventor of the piano
- 1715 - Richard Graves, English writer
- 1733 - Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, political scientist, and sailor
- 1752 - John Brooks (governor)|John Brooks, American politician, 11th Governor of Massachusetts
- 1767 - Tyagaraja, Indian composer
- 1772 - Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus, German publisher
- 1781 - Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher
- 1796 - Horace Mann, American educator
- 1796 - William H. Prescott, American historian
- 1820 - Julia Gardiner Tyler, American first lady, second wife of John Tyler
- 1822 - Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Canadian politician
- 1825 - Thomas Henry Huxley, English scientist
- 1825 - Augustus Le Plongeon, French antiquitarian
- 1826 - Frederic Edwin Church, American painter
- 1827 - John Hanning Speke, English explorer
5
- 1684 - Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles
- 1747 - Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1749 - Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French composer
- 1764 - Robert Craufurd, English general
- 1800 - Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher
- 1813 - Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher
- 1818 - Karl Marx, German philosopher
- 1826 - Eugénie de Montijo of France, wife of Napoleon III of France
- 1830 - John Batterson Stetson, American hat manufacturer, invented the cowboy hat and founded the John B. Stetson Company
- 1832 - Hubert Howe Bancroft, American historian and publisher
- 1833 - Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer
- 1834 - Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter
6
- 1680 - Jean-Baptiste Stuck, Italian-French composer and cellist
- 1713 - Charles Batteux, French philosopher
- 1714 - Anton Raaff, German tenor
- 1758 - André Masséna, French marshal
- 1758 - Maximilien Robespierre, French lawyer and politician
- 1769 - Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
- 1769 - Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician
- 1797 - Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer
- 1800 - Roman Sanguszko, Polish aristocrat and general
7
- 1700 - Gerard van Swieten, Dutch physician
- 1704 - Carl Heinrich Graun, German composer and tenor
- 1711 - David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian
- 1724 - Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, Austrian general
- 1740 - Nikolai Arkharov, Russian general
- 1745 - Carl Stamitz, German composer
- 1748 - Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and feminist revolutionary
- 1756 - Thomas Linley the younger, English composer
- 1763 - Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Polish prince
- 1767 - Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia
- 1774 - William Bainbridge, American commodore
- 1787 - Jacques Viger, Canadian politician, 1st mayor of Montreal
- 1812 - Robert Browning, English poet
- 1826 - Varina Davis, American author, First Lady of the Confederate States of America
- 1833 - Johannes Brahms, German composer
- 1836 - Joseph Gurney Cannon, American politician
8
- 1670 - Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier
- 1735 - Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter
- 1738 - Mikhail Kamensky, Russian general
- 1753 - Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Mexican priest and revolutionary
- 1786 - Jean Vianney, French priest
- 1821 - William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman
- 1825 - George Bruce Malleson, Indian officer
- 1828 - Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and social activist, founder of the Red Cross, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- 1828 - Sharbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk
- 1829 - Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American composer and pianist
- 1835 - Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter
- 1839 - Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and lyricist
9
- 1740 - Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer
- 1800 - John Brown, American abolitionist
- 1801 - Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English landowner, developer, and Member of Parliament, founded the town of Fleetwood, in Lancashire
- 1837 - Adam Opel, German engineer and industrialist
10
- 1697 - Jean-Marie Leclair, French violinist and composer
- 1714 - Sophie Charlotte Ackermann, German actress
- 1727 - Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune, French statesman
- 1746 - Gaspard Monge, French mathematician
- 1755 - Robert Gray, American sea captain
- 1756 - Singu Min, Myanma king of Konbaung Dynasty
- 1760 - Johann Peter Hebel, German poet
- 1760 - Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French Army officer and composer
- 1770 - Louis-Nicolas Davout, French marshal
- 1775 - Antoine Charles Louis Lasalle, French general
- 1788 - Augustin-Jean Fresnel, French physicist
- 1788 - Catherine Pavlovna of Russia
- 1810 - E. Cobham Brewer, English writer and editor
- 1813 - Montgomery Blair, American politician
- 1838 - John Wilkes Booth, American actor and assassin of Abraham Lincoln
- 1840 - Hadzhi Dimitar, Bulgarian revolutionary
11
- 1715 - Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach, German child of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach
- 1715 - Ignazio Fiorillo, Italian composer
- 1720 - Baron Münchhausen, German nobleman
- 1722 - Petrus Camper, Dutch anatomist
- 1733 - Princess Victoire of France
- 1752 - Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German anthropologist
- 1763 - János Batsányi, Hungarian poet
- 1771 - Laskarina Bouboulina, Greek naval commander
- 1799 - John Lowell, Jr., American philanthropist
- 1801 - Henri Labrouste, French architect
- 1811 - Chang and Eng Bunker, Thai-American conjoined twins
- 1811 - Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel, Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council
- 1817 - Fanny Cerrito, Italian ballet dancer
- 1824 - Jean-Léon Gérôme, French painter and sculptor
- 1827 - Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, French sculptor and painter
- 1835 - Karlis Baumanis, Latvian composer
- 1838 - Walter Goodman, English painter, illustrator, and author
12
- 1626 - Louis Hennepin, Flemish missionary
- 1670 - Augustus II the Strong
- 1700 - Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian engineer and architect
- 1725 - Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
- 1739 - Johann Baptist Vanhal, Bohemian composer
- 1754 - Franz Anton Hoffmeister, German composer and publisher
- 1755 - Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer
- 1767 - Manuel de Godoy, Spanish statesman
- 1803 - Justus von Liebig, German chemist
- 1804 - Robert Baldwin, Canadian politician
- 1806 - Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman
- 1812 - Edward Lear, English artist and poet
- 1814 - Adolf von Henselt, German composer and pianist
- 1820 - Florence Nightingale, British nurse
- 1825 - Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and adventurer
- 1828 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English painter
- 1829 - Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer
- 1839 - Tôn Th?t Thuy?t, Vietnamese mandarin (bureaucrat)|mandarin of the Nguy?n Dynasty
- 1840 - Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean military officer
13
- 1655 - Pope Innocent XIII
- 1699 - Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquess of Pombal, Portuguese statesman, Prime Minister of Portugal
- 1712 - Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish statesman
- 1717 - Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress
- 1730 - Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1735 - Horace Coignet, French composer
- 1742 - Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen
- 1753 - Lazare Carnot, French general, politician, and mathematician
- 1759 - Elizabeth Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
- 1792 - Pope Pius IX
- 1794 - Louis Léopold Robert, French painter
- 1795 - Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist
- 1822 - Francis, Duke of Cádiz
- 1830 - Zebulon Baird Vance, American politician and military officer, governor of North Carolina
- 1840 - Alphonse Daudet, French novelist
14
- 1679 - Peder Horrebow, Danish astronomer
- 1686 - Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
- 1699 - Hans Joachim von Zieten, Prussian field marshal
- 1701 - William Emerson, English mathematician
- 1710 - Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden
- 1725 - Ludovico Manin, French leader, last Doge of Venice
- 1727 - Thomas Gainsborough, English painter
- 1737 - George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, Irish-English statesman
- 1752 - Timothy Dwight IV, American theologian
- 1752 - Albrecht Thaer, German agronomist
- 1771 - Robert Owen, Welsh social reformer
- 1781 - Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer, German historian
- 1796 - William Hickling Prescott
- 1814 - Charles Beyer, German-English locomotive engineer, co-founder of the Beyer, Peacock and Company
- 1817 - Alexander Kaufmann, German poet
- 1832 - Rudolf Lipschitz, German mathematician
- 1832 - Charles Peace, English burglar and murderer
15
- 1689 - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer
- 1720 - Maximilian Hell, Hungarian astronomer
- 1749 - Levi Lincoln, Sr., American statesman
- 1763 - Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor
- 1764 - Johann Nepomuk Kalcher, German organist and composer
- 1767 - Ezekiel Hart, Canadian entrepreneur and politician
- 1773 - Prince Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician and statesman
- 1786 - Dimitris Plapoutas, Greek General
- 1808 - Michael William Balfe, Irish composer
- 1817 - Debendranath Tagore, Indian religious reformer
16
- 1710 - William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician
- 1718 - Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician
- 1763 - Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist
- 1788 - Friedrich Rückert, German Poet, translator, and orientalist
- 1801 - William H. Seward, American politician and diplomat
- 1821 - Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician
- 1824 - Levi P. Morton, American politician, 22nd United States Vice President
- 1827 - Pierre Cuypers, Dutch architect, designed the Rijksmuseum
- 1831 - David E. Hughes, English scientist and musician, co-inventor of the microphone
17
- 1682 - Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate
- 1706 - Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian
- 1718 - Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English diplomat and politician
- 1732 - Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie, English musician and composer
- 1732 - Francesco Pasquale Ricci, Italian composer and violinist
- 1743 - Seth Warner, American soldier
- 1749 - Edward Jenner, English physician and scientist
- 1758 - Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet, English fossil collector
- 1768 - Caroline of Brunswick
- 1768 - Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general
- 1794 - Anna Brownell Jameson, English writer
- 1821 - Sebastian Kneipp, German naturopathist
- 1836 - Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian chess player
- 1836 - Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet
18
- 1692 - Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher
- 1711 - Ruder Boškovic, Croatian theorist
- 1777 - John George Children, English chemist, mineralogist, and zoologist
- 1778 - Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
- 1785 - John Wilson, Scottish writer
- 1797 - Frederick Augustus II of Saxony
- 1822 - Mathew Brady, American photographer
19
- 1700 - José de Escandón, Spanish governor
- 1724 - Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician
- 1744 - Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German wife of King George III of the United Kingdom
- 1762 - Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher
- 1773 - Arthur Aikin, English mineralogist
- 1795 - Johns Hopkins, American philanthropist; Johns Hopkins University was named for him.
- 1797 - Maria Isabel of Portugal
- 1827 - Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French statesman
20
- 1838 - Jules Méline, French statesman
- 1706 - Seth Pomeroy, American gunsmith and soldier
- 1726 - Francis Cotes, English painter
- 1737 - William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, English statesman
- 1759 - William Thornton, West Indian-born architect
- 1768 - Dolley Madison, American wife of James Madison, First Lady of the United States
- 1769 - Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician
- 1772 - Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet, English inventor, developed Congreve rockets
- 1776 - Simon Fraser, Canadian explorer
- 1799 - Honoré de Balzac, French novelist
- 1806 - John Stuart Mill, English philosopher
- 1818 - William Fargo, American businessman and politician, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express
- 1822 - Frédéric Passy, French economist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- 1824 - Cadmus M. Wilcox, American general
- 1830 - Hector Malot, French writer
21
- 1688 - Alexander Pope, English poet
- 1755 - Alfred Moore, American judge
- 1763 - Joseph Fouché, French statesman
- 1775 - Lucien Bonaparte, French politician, soldier, and academic
- 1780 - Elizabeth Fry, English philanthropist and reformer
- 1790 - William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, British peer, courtier and Whig politician
- 1792 - Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, French scientist
- 1799 - Mary Anning, English paleontologist
- 1827 - William P. Sprague, American politician
- 1832 - Elizabeth Storrs Mead, American educator, 10th President of Mount Holyoke College
- 1835 - František Chvostek, Moravian physician
22
- 1823 - Isabella Glyn, English actress
- 1715 - François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and statesman
- 1724 - Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, French explorer
- 1733 - Hubert Robert, French artist
- 1770 - Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom
- 1772 - Ram Mohan Roy, Indian reformer
- 1783 - William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor, invented the Electromagnet and Electric motor
- 1808 - Gérard de Nerval, French writer
- 1813 - Richard Wagner, German composer
- 1823 - Solomon Bundy, American politician
23
- 1696 - Johann Caspar Vogler, German organist and composer
- 1707 - Carolus Linnaeus, Swedish botanist
- 1718 - William Hunter, Scottish anatomist
- 1729 - Giuseppe Parini, Italian writer
- 1734 - Franz Anton Mesmer, Austrian physician and hypnotist
- 1741 - Andrea Luchesi, Italian composer
- 1790 - Jules Dumont d'Urville, French naval officer, admiral, and explorer
- 1794 - Ignaz Moscheles, Bohemian composer and piano virtuoso
- 1795 - Charles Barry, English architect
- 1810 - Margaret Fuller, American journalist
- 1820 - James Buchanan Eads, American engineer and inventor, designed and built the Eads Bridge
- 1820 - Lorenzo Sawyer, American jurist
- 1824 - Ambrose Burnside, American general
- 1834 - Carl Heinrich Bloch, Danish painter
24
- 1671 - Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
- 1686 - Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, German physicist, engineer, and glass blower, developed the Fahrenheit scale
- 1689 - Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician
- 1743 - Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary
- 1794 - William Whewell, English scientist and philosopher
- 1803 - Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish biologist
- 1810 - Charles Clark, American politician, 24th Governor of Mississippi
- 1810 - Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar
- 1816 - Emanuel Leutze, German painter
- 1819 - Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
- 1830 - Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter
- 1836 - Joseph Rowntree, English philanthropist
25
- 1661 - Claude Buffier, French philosopher and historian
- 1713 - John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Scottish nobleman Prime Minister of Great Britain
- 1725 - Samuel Ward, American politician
- 1749 - Gregorio Funes, Argentine clergyman, politician and Junta Grande figure
- 1783 - Philip Pendleton Barbour, American politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- 1803 - Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, English novelist and playwright
- 1803 - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and philosopher
- 1818 - Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss historian
26
- 1650 - John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general
- 1667 - Abraham de Moivre, French mathematician
- 1669 - Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist
- 1700 - Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, German social reformer
- 1764 - Edward Livingston, American jurist and statesman
- 1822 - Edmond de Goncourt, French writer
- 1799 - Alexander Pushkin
27
- 1651 - Louis Antoine de Noailles, French bishop and cardinal
- 1652 - Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Princess Palatine
- 1738 - Nathaniel Gorham, American politician, 14th President of the United States in Congress Assembled and signer of the United States Constitution
- 1756 - Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria
- 1794 - Cornelius Vanderbilt, American industrialist and philanthropist, founded Vanderbilt University
- 1818 - Amelia Bloomer, American women's rights activist
- 1819 - Julia Ward Howe, American poet
- 1820 - Mathilde Bonaparte, French royal and socialite
- 1827 - Samuel F. Miller, American politician
- 1836 - Jay Gould, American railroad developer and financier
- 1837 - Wild Bill Hickok, American lawman
- 1837 - Ivan Kramskoy, Russian painter
28
- 1660 - George I of Great Britain
- 1676 - Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician
- 1692 - Joseph Butler, English philosopher
- 1692 - Geminiano Giacomelli, Italian composer
- 1738 - Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician
- 1759 - William Pitt the Younger, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1763 - Manuel Alberti, Argentine priest
- 1779 - Thomas Moore, Irish poet
- 1807 - Louis Agassiz, Swiss zoologist and geologist
- 1818 - P.G.T. Beauregard, Confederate general
- 1836 - Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist
- 1836 - Friedrich Baumfelder, German composer, conductor, and pianist
- 1837 - George Ashlin, Irish architect
- 1837 - Tony Pastor, American impresario and theater owner
29
- 1675 - Humphry Ditton, English mathematician
- 1716 - Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French naturalist
- 1722 - James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish nobleman, soldier, and politician
- 1730 - Jackson of Exeter, English organist and composer
- 1736 - Patrick Henry, American attorney, planter, and politician, 1st and 6th Governor of Virginia
- 1773 - Princess Sophia of Gloucester
- 1780 - Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist
- 1794 - Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer
- 1823 - John H. Balsley, American carpenter and inventor
30
- 1713 - Princess Caroline of Great Britain
- 1718 - Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire, English politician
- 1719 - Roger Newdigate, English politician
- 1757 - Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English statesman
- 1768 - Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty, French commander
- 1768 - Georg Amadeus Carl Friedrich Naumann, German mineralogist and geologist
- 1800 - Henri-Marie-Gaston Boisnormand de Bonnechose French bishop and senator
- 1814 - Mikhail Bakunin, Russian revolutionary, and philosopher, and theorist
- 1814 - Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian mathematician
- 1819 - William McMurdo, English army officer
- 1820 - Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, French-Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Quebec
31
- 1732 - Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop
- 1753 - Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French lawyer and statesman
- 1754 - Andrea Appiani, Italian painter
- 1773 - Ludwig Tieck, German writer
- 1801 - Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist
- 1818 - John Albion Andrew, American politician
- 1819 - Walt Whitman, American poet
- 1835 - Hijikata Toshizo, Japanese military leader
- 1838 - Henry Sidgwick, English philosopher
*Date of baptism According to the Old Style Calendar