- Jan 3 Joseph Fesch, French cardinal/war commission/earl/senator
- Jan 8 Edmond Charles Genêt, French diplomat, born in Versailles, France (d. 1834)
- Jan 24 Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, Russian general (d. 1831)
- Jan 26 Charles XIV [Jean Bernadotte], King of Sweden & Norway (1818-44), Marshall of France, born in Pau, France (d. 1844)
- Jan 29 Johann Gottfried Seume, German writer (Spaziergang nach Syrakus), born in Poserna, Saxony-Anhalt, (d. 1810)
- Feb 1 Thomas Campbell, founder (Church of Disciples in America)
- Feb 3 Caroline von Wolzogen [von Lengefeld], German author
- Feb 9 Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden (d. 1830)
- Feb 14 Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general, born in Morlaix, Brittany, France (d. 1813)
- Mar 9 William Cobbett, English journalist and author, born in Farnham, Surrey (d. 1835)
- Mar 13 Guillaume Brune, French marshal, born in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France (d. 1815)
- Mar 21 Jean Paul, German romantic writer (Titan), born in Wunsiedel, Franconia (d. 1825)
- May 7 Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Polish general and marshal of France, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1813)
- May 8 John Goldberg, Dutch patriot/statesman
- May 11 János Batsányi, Hungarian poet (d. 1845)
- May 16 Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin, chemist (discovered chromium, beryllium)
- May 21 Joseph Fouché, French statesman (d. 1820)
- Jun 13 José Bonifácio de Andrada, Brazilian statesman, born in Santos, São Paulo (d. 1838)
Wolfe Tone
Jun 20 Wolfe Tone, Irish republican and revolutionary figure (United Irishmen), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1798)
Wolfe Tone
- Jun 21 Pierre-Paul Royer-Collard, French statesman and philosopher, born in Sompuis, France (d. 1845)
- Jun 23 Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon I and first Empress of France (1804-14), born in Les Trois-Îlets, Martinique (d. 1814)
- Jun 26 George Morland, English artist of rural landscapes, born in London (d. 1804)
- Jul 17 Johannes Hendricus van der Palm, Dutch theologist and Minister of Education, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1840)
John Jacob Astor
Jul 17 John Jacob Astor [Johann Jakob Astor] German-American businessman (first multi-millionaire in the United States), born in Walldorf, Electoral Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1848)
John Jacob Astor
- Jul 22 James Geddes, American Engineer (Erie Canal), born in Carlisle Pennsylvania (d. 1838)
- Jul 30 Samuel Rogers, English poet (Italy, a poem), born in Newington Cross, Islington, England (d. 1855)
- Aug 8 Charles Bulfinch, 1st US pro architect (Mass State House), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Sep 2 Caroline von Schelling [Michaelis], German author
- Oct 24 Dorothea von Schlegel, German novelist (Florentin), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1839)
- Oct 27 William Maclure, Scottish-American Geologist (first geological map), born in Ayr, Scotland (d. 1840)
- Dec 25 Claude Chappe, French engineer (optical telegraph)
- Dec 28 John Molson, founded Montreal brewery (Molsons)
- Dec 31 Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral, born in Valensole, France (d. 1806)