- May 2 E. E. Smith, American food engineer and sci-fi author (Triplanetary), born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (d. 1965)
- May 3 Alex Pompez, American Baseball HOF executive (owner NgL Cuban Stars [East] 1923-28; NY Cubans 1935-51), born in Key West, Florida (d. 1974)
- May 3 B. Traven, (German?) writer (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) whose real identity is disputed (possible date)
- May 5 Christopher Morley, American author (Kitty Foil), born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (d. 1957)
- May 6 Claire Whitney, American silent film actress (Blind Fools, Haunted Mine), born in NYC, New York (d. 1969)
- May 7 Billy House, American actor (Imitation of Life; Bedlam: The Egg and I), born in Mankato, Minnesota (d. 1961)
Alfred Jodl (1890-1946)
May 10 German general during World War II (head of the German High Command, signed unconditional Nazi surrender), born in Würzburg, German Empire
- May 15 Katherine Anne Porter, American novelist (Ship of Fools)
- May 17 Philip James, American composer, and conductor (New Jersey Symphony, 1922-29; Bamberger Little Symphony, 1929-36), and educator (NYU, 1934-56), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1975)
- May 18 Mary Charleson, Irish-American silent film actress (Upstairs And Down), born in Dungannon, Ireland (d. 1961)
Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969)
May 19 Vietnamese communist revolutionary and President of North Vietnam (1946-69), born in Nghệ An Province, French Indochina
- May 20 Beniamino Gigli, Italian tenor (Enzo-La Gioconde)
- May 21 Albert van Raalte, Dutch conductor (AVRO-orchestra), (d. 1952)
- May 23 Herbert Marshall, English actor (Trouble in Paradise; The Little Foxes), born in London (d. 1996)
- May 26 Kurt Edzard, German sculptor (nudes/portraits), born in Bremen, Germany (d. 1972)
- May 27 Fritzi Brunette, American actress, born in Savannah, Georgia (d. 1943)
- May 29 Francis de Bourguignon, Belgian composer, born in Brussels (d. 1961)
- May 29 Martin Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan author (Gamperaliya - The Uprooted/Changing Village), born in Koggala, British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) (d. 1976)