- May 7 Johan Zoutman, Dutch rear admiral who fought at the Battle of Dogger Bank and in the American Revolutionary War, dies at 68
- May 7 Pietro Nardini, Italian composer, dies at 71
- May 13 Martin Gerbert, German composer, music historian and abbot, dies at 72
- May 20 Charles Bonnet, Swiss naturalist and writer, dies at 73