- May 3 August von Kotzebue, German dramatist, born in Weimar, Germany (d. 1819)
- May 13 Adrian Loosjes, Dutch botanist, publisher and writer (Mauritius Lijnslager), born in Den Hoor, Netherlands (d. 1818)
- May 16 John Opie, English painter, born in Trevellas, Cornwall (d. 1807)