- Jan 9 Giuseppe Gallignani, Italian composer and conductor, born in Faenza, Emilia-Romagna, Papal State (now Italy) (d. 1923)
- Jan 14 Théophile de Bock, Dutch painter, born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1904)
- Jan 17 A. B. Frost, American illustrator (d. 1928)
- Jan 19 David Starr Jordan, American biologist and founding president of Stanford University, born in New York (d. 1931)
- Jan 19 Johannes Cornelius Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer, born in Barneveld, Netherlands (d. 1922)
- Jan 25 Arne Garborg, Norwegian writer & playwright (Bondestudentar), born in Jæren, Norway (d. 1924)
- Jan 25 Jan Blockx, Belgian opera composer (Sea Bride, Princess of Herberg), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1912)
- Jan 27 Rafael Obligado, Argentine, writer (Santos Vega) (d. 1920)