- Oct 1 Paul Dukas, French composer, born in Paris (d. 1935)
- Oct 3 Johan Eilerts de Haan, Dutch sea officer (Lucie R, Suriname), born in Noordwolde, Friesland, Netherlands (d. 1910)
- Oct 4 Max Halbe, German playwright (Jugend), born in Güttland, Gdańsk (d. 1944)
- Oct 10 Rafael Merry del Val, British-born Spanish Roman Catholic cardinal, born in London, England (d. 1930)
- Oct 11 Hans E. Kinck, Norwegian philological and writer (Mot Karnaval), born in Øksfjord, Norway (d. 1926)
- Oct 12 Arthur Harden, English biochemist (Nobel Prize 1929), born in Manchester, England (d. 1940)
- Oct 15 Walther Amelung, German archaeologist, born in Szczecin, Poland (d. 1927)
- Oct 17 James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (d. 1950)
- Oct 18 Arie de Jong, Dutch linguist (d. 1957)
- Oct 18 Logan Pearsall Smith, American essayist and critic (d. 1946)
- Oct 22 Kristjan Raud, Estonian painter and one of the founders of the Estonian National Museum, born in Kirikuküla, Vinni Parish, Estonia (d. 1943)
- Oct 23 Neltje Blanchan, American nature writer, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1918)
- Oct 26 Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman, who dies aboard the Titanic, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1912)
- Oct 27 Charles Spencelayh, English painter (Why War), born in Rochester, Kent (d. 1958)