- May 1 James Stirling, Scottish mathematician (Formula of Stirling), born in this month in Stirlingshire, Scotland (d. 1770)
- May 3 Jan Jacob Mauricius, Dutch governor-general of Suriname (1742-51), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1768)
- May 18 Joseph Butler, English theologian and bishop, born in Wantage, England (d. 1752)