- Mar 2 Henry Billings Brown, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1913)
- Mar 5 Charles Goodnight, American cattle rancher (d. 1929)
- Mar 8 Matthew Calbraith Butler, American Major General (Confederate Army) and politician, born in Greenville, South Carolina (d. 1909)
- Mar 15 Henrique Alves de Mesquita, composer
- Mar 16 Andrew Smith Hallidie, American inventor of the cable car, born in London (d. 1900)
- Mar 20 Ferris Jacobs, Jr., American politician (d. 1886)
- Mar 20 Sir Edward Poynter, British painter (d. 1919)
- Mar 21 Jesus Monasterio, composer
- Mar 28 Frederick Pabst, German-American brewer (Pabst Brewing Company), born in Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth, Germany (d. 1904)
- Mar 30 Karl Freiherr von Stumm-Halberg, German industrialist/politician