- May 1 Horst Schumann, Nazi physician, born in Halle an der Saale, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1983)
- May 2 Aileen Riggin, American diver (Olympic gold 3m springboard 1920, 24), born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 2002)
- May 2 Maurice Thiriet, French composer, born in Meulan, Yvelines, France (d. 1972)
- May 2 Philippe Halsman, American portrait photographer, born in Riga, Latvia (d. 1979)
Mary Astor (1906-1987)
May 3 American Academy Award-winning actress (The Great Lie; Meet Me In St Louis; The Maltese Falcon), born in Quincy, Illinois
- May 4 Esmond Knight, British actor (Hamlet, Sleeping Murder), born in East Sheen, England (d. 1987)
- May 5 Frances "Fran" Lee, American actress (Reckless Rosie), born in Eagle Grove, Iowa (d. 2000)
- May 5 Ursula Jeans, British actress (Cavalcade, Over the Moon, I Lived With You), born in Simla, British India (d. 1973)
- May 6 André Weil, French mathematician (foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry), born in Paris (d. 1998)
- May 6 Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican writer (La Llamarada), born in Moca, Puerto Rico (d. 2005)
- May 8 David Van Vactor, American classical composer (Chaconne), born in Plymouth, Indiana (d. 1994)
Roberto Rossellini (1906-1977)
May 8 Italian film director (General della Rovere, Open City), born in Rome, Italy
- May 9 Eleanor Estes, American children's author and illustrator (Ginger Pye, Moffats), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1988)
- May 11 Jacqueline Cochran, US pilot and 1st woman to break the sound barrier, born in Muscogee, Florida (d. 1980)
- May 12 Maurice Ewing, US pioneering geologist and geophysicist, born in Lockney, Texas (d. 1974)
- May 13 Thomas Mitchell, British architect and engineer, (d. 1996)
- May 14 Hastings Kamuzu Banda, president of Malawi (1964-94)
- May 14 James Flavin, American actor (King Kong, In Cold Blood, Man With a Camera), born in Portland, Maine (d. 1976)
- May 16 Alfred Pellan, French Canadian painter (d. 1988)
- May 16 Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuela, writer/minister (Lanzas Coloradas)
- May 16 Ernie McCormick, Australian cricket fast bowler (12 Tests, 36 wickets, BB 4/101; Victoria), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1991)
- May 16 Margret Rey, author and illustrator (d. 1996)
- May 16 Nicholas Beriozoff, ballet master
- May 17 Eric Mensforth, British pioneer in the development of the helicopter in Britain, born in Stretford, Manchester (d. 2000)
- May 17 Horace McMahon, American actor (Detective Story, Martin Kane Private Eye), born in South Norwalk, Connecticut (d. 1971)
- May 17 Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (Ljublama Opera, 1927; NY Metropolitan Opera, 1937-66), born in Zagreb, Croatia (d. 1989)
- May 19 Bruce Bennett, American athlete and actor (Before I Hang, Sahara), born in Tacoma, Washington (d. 2007)
- May 20 Giuseppe Siri, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1989)
- May 21 Dorothy Tree [Triebitz], American actress (Abe Lincoln in Illinois; Confessions Of A Nazi Spy; The Asphalt Jungle), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1992)
- May 21 Keith Rigg, Australian cricket batsman (8 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 127; Victoria), born in Melbourne, Victoria (d. 1995)
- May 23 Hellmuth Christian Wolff, German composer, teacher, musicologist and painter, born in Zürich, Switzerland (d. 1988)
- May 24 John Mayo, director-general (Help the Aged)
- May 26 Mauri Rose, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500, 1941, 1947-48), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 1981)
- May 27 Robert Shone, British economist and director-general (NEDC), born in Birkenhead, Cheshire (d. 1992)
- May 28 Phil Regan, American actor and singer ("My Wild Irish Rose"), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1996)
T. H. White (1906-1964)
May 29 English novelist (England Have My Bones) and author of the King Arthur novels,, born in Bombay, British India
- May 30 Bruno Gröning, German faith healer (d. 1959)
- May 31 Hans Schaeuble, Swiss composer, born in Arosa, Switzerland (d. 1988)
About May 1906
How Old? 116 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation
Leap Year: No