On this day · Taurus

May 5 birthdays

289 notable historical figures were born on May 5, and 176 died on this day. Everyone born on May 5 is a Taurus.

19% of May 5 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (72) than any other country.

Born on May 5

• Adele (born 1988. English singer-songwriter (born 1988))
• Karl Marx (1818 to 1883. German philosopher and socialist (1818–1883))
• Søren Kierkegaard (1813 to 1855. Danish theologian and philosopher (1813–1855))
• Michael Palin (born 1943. English actor (born 1943))
• Adrian Carton de Wiart (1880 to 1963. British Army officer (1880–1963))
• Hank Green (born 1980. American vlogger and entrepreneur (born 1980))
• Leopold (Emperor Leopold II) (1747 to 1792. Holy Roman Emperor from 1790 to 1792)
• Nellie Bly (1864 to 1922. American investigative journalist (1864–1922))
• Eugenie de Montijo (1826 to 1920. Empress of the French from 1853 to 1870)
• Zail Singh (1916 to 1994. President of India from 1982 to 1987)
• Georgios Papadopoulos (1919 to 1999. Greek military dictator (1919–1999))
• Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell (1883 to 1950. British field marshal (1883–1950))
• Justin Kuritzkes (born 1990. American writer)
• Jorge Quiroga (born 1960. President of Bolivia from 2001 to 2002)
• Henry Cavill (born 1983. British actor (born 1983))
• Chris Brown (born 1989. American singer (born 1989))
• Douglas Mawson (1882 to 1958. Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882–1958))
• Tanya Tagaq (born 1975. Canadian Inuk throat singer)
• Pritilata Waddedar (1911 to 1932. Bengali revolutionary (1911-1932))
• Afonso III (1210 to 1279. King of Portugal from 1248 to 1279)
• Blind Willie McTell (1898 to 1959. Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and guitarist (1898–1959))
• Salah al-Din al-Bitar (1912 to 1980. Syrian politician (1912–1980))
• Agustín Barrios (1885 to 1944. Paraguayan guitarist and composer (1885–1944))
• Niko Pirosmani (1862 to 1918. Georgian painter (1862–1918))
• Rupert (1352 to 1410. King of Germany from 1400 to 1410)
• Lucy Simon (1940 to 2022. American composer (1940–2022))
• Pietro Gasparri (1852 to 1934. Italian Catholic cardinal, diplomat, and politician (1851–1934))
• Michael Cates (born 1961. British physicist (born 1961))
• Antony Santos (born 1967. Dominican musician (born 1967))
• Trần Đức Lương (1937 to 2025. Vietnamese politician (1937–2025))
• Joseph Stefano (1922 to 2006. American screenwriter (1922–2006))
• Jacques Massu (1908 to 2002. French general (1908–2002))
• Henri Konan Bédié (1934 to 2023. President of Côte d'Ivoire from 1993 to 1999)
• Ola Gjeilo (born 1978. Norwegian composer and pianist (born 1978))
• Carlos Alcaraz (born 2003. Spanish tennis player (born 2003))
• Kenji Eno (1970 to 2013. Japanese musician and video game designer (1970–2013))
• John William Draper (1811 to 1882. British-academic (1811–1882))
• Cândido Rondon (1865 to 1958. Marshal of Brazil)
• Eleazar López Contreras (1883 to 1973. President of Venezuela from 1935 to 1941)
• Arthur Leonard Schawlow (1921 to 1999. American physicist (1921–1999))
• Paula of Rome (347 to 406. Ancient Roman saint)
• Stanisław Moniuszko (1819 to 1872. Polish composer, conductor, and pedagogue (1819–1872))
• Sergey Stanishev (born 1966. Bulgarian politician (born 1966))
• Ferdinand von Richthofen (1833 to 1905. German explorer and scientist (1833–1905))
• Dorothy Garrod (1892 to 1968. English archaeologist (1892–1968))
• Aryna Sabalenka (born 1998. Belarusian tennis player (born 1998))
• Mavis Batey (1921 to 2013. English codebreaker (1921–2013))
• Miklós Radnóti (1909 to 1944. Hungarian poet (1909–1944))
• Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (1933 to 2016. Sri Lankan politician (1933–2016))
• Todd Strasser (born 1950. American novelist)
• Émile Eddé (1883 to 1949. President of Lebanon (1936–1941; 1943))
• Joel Pritchard (1925 to 1997. 14th Lieutenant Governor of Washington)
• Malam Bacai Sanhá (1947 to 2012. President of Guinea-Bissau from 2009 to 2012)
• Charles R. Pellegrino (born 1953. American author (born 1953))
• Gar Alperovitz (born 1936. American historian and economist)
• Zorana Mihajlović (born 1970. Serbian politician (born 1970))
• Magdalene Odundo (born 1950. Kenyan-born British studio potter (born 1950))
• Javier Senosiain (born 1948. Mexican architect)
• Kaoru Wada (born 1962. Japanese composer and arranger (born 1962))
• Richard Wollheim (1923 to 2003. British philosopher (1923–2003))

Died on May 5

• Napoleon (1769 to 1821. French general and emperor (1769–1821))
• Leopold I (1640 to 1705. Holy Roman Emperor from 1658 to 1705)
• Galerius (250 to 311. Roman emperor from 305 to 311)
• Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (1951 to 2010. President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010)
• Mikhail Botvinnik (1911 to 1995. Soviet chess grandmaster (1911–1995))
• Hugo Banzer (1926 to 2002. President of Bolivia (1971–1978; 1997–2001))
• Isabella II of Jerusalem (1212 to 1228. Queen of Jerusalem (r. 1212–1228))
• Frederick Augustus I (1750 to 1827. Ruler of Saxony from 1763 to 1827)
• Charles II of Naples (1254 to 1309. King of Naples from 1284 to 1309)
• Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (1463 to 1525. Elector of Saxony from 1486 to 1525)
• Frithjof Schuon (1907 to 1998. Swiss philosopher, poet and painter (1907–1998))
• Isao Tomita (1932 to 2016. Japanese composer (1932–2016))
• Carl Johan Bernadotte (1916 to 2012. Prince Bernadotte)
• Theodore Maiman (1927 to 2007. American physicist (1927–2007))
• Reverend Gary Davis (1896 to 1972. American blues and gospel singer and guitarist (1896–1972))
• P. D. Q. Bach (1742 to 1807. Fictitious composer)
• Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1282 to 1316. English princess and noblewoman (1282–1316))
• Georgios Karaiskakis (1782 to 1827. Greek Revolutionary (1782–1827))
• Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1660–1661) (1660 to 1661. Duke of Cambridge)
• Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester (1602 to 1671. English army officer and courtier)
• William Friese-Greene (1855 to 1921. British photographer and inventor (1855–1921))
• Prince Napoléon Charles (1802 to 1807. Prince Royal of Holland (1802–1807))
• Martiros Saryan (1880 to 1972. Armenian painter)
• Kadir Mısıroğlu (1933 to 2019. Turkish conspiracy theorist (1933–2019))
• August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818 to 1892. German chemist (1818–1892))
• Casimir II the Just (1138 to 1194. High Duke of Poland)
• W. D. Ross (1877 to 1971. Scottish philosopher and translator (1877–1971))
• Dinshaw Maneckji Petit (1823 to 1901. Indian baronet, entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist (1823-1901))
• Squire Parsons (1948 to 2025. American singer-songwriter (1948–2025))
• Irving Howe (1920 to 1993. American writer, literary critic, socialist activist (1920–1993))

Explore the day before or after: May 4 · May 6. Or find who shares your exact birthday.