- Mar 1 John Thomas, Welsh composer and harpist, born in Bridgend (d. 1913)
- Mar 4 John Buford, American Major General (Union Army), born in Woodford County, Kentucky (d. 1863)
- Mar 4 Theodore Judah, American civil engineer (1st transcontinental railroad), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1863)
- Mar 9 Jean Joseph Bott, German violinist and composer, born in Kassel, Germany (d. 1895)
- Mar 12 Robert Lowry, American hymn composer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1899)
- Mar 14 William Fiske Sherwin, American composer, born in Buckland, Massachusetts (d. 1888)
- Mar 17 Oskar Peschel, German geographer (classified men into seven races in his book "The Races of Man: and their geographical distribution"), born in Dresden (d. 1875)
- Mar 20 Carel Vosmaer, Dutch poet and critic (d. 1888)
- Mar 23 [Aloysius] Ludwig Minkus, Austrian violinist, and ballet composer (St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, 1871-86; La Bayadère), born in Vienna, Austrian Empire (d. 1917)
- Mar 29 Wilhelm Liebknecht, German socialist (Social Democratic Party), born in Giessen, Germany (d. 1900)