- May 1 Joel Rosenberg, sci-fi author
- May 2 Bulelani Ngcuka, South African attorney and leader (UDF), born in Middlerift, South Africa
- May 4 Doug Jones, American attorney and politician (Rep-D-Alabama 2017-), born in Fairfield, Alabama
- May 6 Sergei Nikolayevich Tresvyatsky, Russian cosmonaut
- May 6 Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician
- May 14 Jens Sparschuh, German writer
- May 15 Robert P. Harrison, American thinker
- May 16 Dafydd "Dave" Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut (sk: STS 90), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- May 16 Joseph Polchinski, American leading theoretical physicist (multiverse), born in White Plains, New York (d. 2018)
- May 17 John Iles, dolby supervisor (Elephant Man, Richard III)
- May 20 Galina Vasilyevna Amelkina, Russian doctor/cosmonaut
- May 20 David Paterson, American politician
- May 20 Cindy Hensley McCain, American businesswoman, wife of politician John McCain, born in Phoenix, Arizona
- May 20 Robert Van de Walle, Belgian judoka
- May 22 Shuji Nakamura, Japanese-born American electronic engineer (invented the Blue LED), born in Ikata, Japan
- May 25 Alison Stern, wife of radio personality Howard Stern (Private Parts), born in Newton, Massachusetts
- May 26 Alan Hollinghurst, British novelist
- May 26 Danny Rolling, American murderer (d. 2006)
- May 27 Pauline Hanson, Australian politician
- May 28 George E Mahlberg, Astrophysicist, Mt Palomar/Mt Wilson CA (1974-78)
- May 28 John Tory, Canadian politician
About May 1954
How Old? 66 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No