- Jan 1 Colin Morgan, Northern Irish actor (Merlin; Humans; Mammals), born in Armagh, Northern Ireland
- Jan 1 Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player (French Open doubles 2008 [with Luis Horna]), born in Concordia, Argentina
- Jan 1 Vidya Balan, Indian actress
- Jan 2 Trombone Shorty [Troy Andrews], American jazz musician and producer, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jan 3 Jacob Timpano, Australian soccer player
- Jan 3 Liam Treadwell, English National Hunt jockey (Grand National 2009; 300+ race wins), born in Arundel, England (d. 2020)
- Jan 3 Lloyd [Polite], American R&B singer ("Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)"; "You"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jan 4 James Milner, English footballer, born in Wortley, Leeds
- Jan 4 Steve Slaton, American football player, born in Levittown, Pennsylvania
- Jan 5 Deepika Padukone, Indian model, actress, and activist (Om Shanti Om, Cocktail, Piki), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Jan 5 Teppei Koike, Japanese actor & singer, born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Jan 6 Alex Turner, English musician (Arctic Monkeys), born in High Green, Sheffield
- Jan 6 Irina Shayk, Russian model, born in Yemanzhelinsk, USSR
- Jan 6 Paul McShane, Irish footballer, born in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland
- Jan 7 Grant Leadbitter, English footballer, born in Chester-le-Street, United Kingdom
- Jan 8 David Silva, Spanish footballer, born in Arguineguín, Spain
- Jan 8 Jaclyn Linetsky, Canadian actress (Caillou; 15/Love), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2003)
- Jan 8 Peng Shuai, Chinese tennis player (1st Chinese player to reach No.1 ranking - doubles with Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan, 2014), born in Xiangtan, China
- Jan 10 Saleisha Stowers, American model, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 11 Rachel Riley, English television presenter and mathematician (Countdown, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown), born in Rochford, England
- Jan 12 Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer, born in Madrid, Spain
- Jan 13 Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater
- Jan 14 Cristina Aicardi, Peruvian badminton player
- Jan 14 Gary Brolsma, American internet celebrity (Numa Numa), born in Saddle Brook, New Jersey
- Jan 15 Fred Davis, American football player, born in Toledo, Ohio
- Jan 16 Mason Gamble, American actor (Dennis the Menace), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 18 Maarja Roxx [Kivi], Estonian hard rock singer and bassist (Vanilla Ninja - "When Indians Cry"; solo - "Could You"), born in Tallinn, Estonia
- Jan 20 Kevin Parker, Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer (Tame Impala - The Slow Rush), born in Sydney
- Jan 21 "Coffin" Joe [Spurgeon], British rock drummer (The Horrors), born in Clare, England
- Jan 22 Daniel Wayne Smith, American actor & reality television personality (d. 2006)
- Jan 22 Lee Pa-ni, South Korean model, born in Seoul, South Korea
- Jan 23 Steven Taylor, English footballer, born in Greenwich, London
- Jan 24 Mischa Barton, English-born American actress (The O.C.), born in Hammersmith, London
- Jan 24 Raviv Ullman, Israeli-born American actor, born in Eilat, Israel
- Jan 24 Sean McVay, American football coach (Super Bowl 2022 Los Angeles Rams), born in Dayton, Ohio
- Jan 25 Chris O'Grady, English footballer, born in Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Jan 26 Gerald Green, American basketball guard (NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion 2007, Minnesota Timberwolves; Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets), born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 26 Kizzmekia Corbett, American viral immunologist (US Vaccine Research Center, developed the Moderna COVID vaccine), born in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina
- Jan 26 Matt Heafy, American-Japanese musician (Trivium), born in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
- Jan 26 Shantelle Taylor, Canadian professional wrestler, born in Toronto, Canada
- Jan 28 Jessica Ennis, English athlete (Olympic gold heptathlon 2012; World C'ship gold 2009, 11, 15), born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
- Jan 28 Shruti Haasan, Indian actress
- Jan 29 Drew Tyler Bell, American actor, born in Indiana
- Jan 29 Simon Vukčević, Montenegrin soccer midfielder (45 caps; Sporting CP, Blackburn Rovers), born in Podgorica, Montenegro
- Jan 30 Sam Duckworth, British singer-songwriter, born in Essex, England
- Jan 31 Yves Makabu-Makalambay, Congolese football goalkeeper, born in Brussels, Belgium
About January 1986
How Old? 37 years old
Generation: Millennial
Leap Year: No