1540
| Years | 
|---|
| Millennium | 
| 2nd millennium | 
| Centuries | 
| Decades | 
| Years | 
| 1540 by topic | 
|---|
| Arts and science | 
| Leaders | 
| 
 | 
| Birth and death categories | 
| Births – Deaths | 
| Establishments and disestablishments categories | 
| Establishments – Disestablishments | 
| Works category | 
| 
 | 
| Gregorian calendar | 1540 MDXL | 
| Ab urbe condita | 2293 | 
| Armenian calendar | 989 ԹՎ ՋՁԹ | 
| Assyrian calendar | 6290 | 
| Balinese saka calendar | 1461–1462 | 
| Bengali calendar | 946–947 | 
| Berber calendar | 2490 | 
| English Regnal year | 31 Hen. 8 – 32 Hen. 8 | 
| Buddhist calendar | 2084 | 
| Burmese calendar | 902 | 
| Byzantine calendar | 7048–7049 | 
| Chinese calendar | 己亥年 (Earth Pig) 4237 or 4030 — to — 庚子年 (Metal Rat) 4238 or 4031 | 
| Coptic calendar | 1256–1257 | 
| Discordian calendar | 2706 | 
| Ethiopian calendar | 1532–1533 | 
| Hebrew calendar | 5300–5301 | 
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1596–1597 | 
| - Shaka Samvat | 1461–1462 | 
| - Kali Yuga | 4640–4641 | 
| Holocene calendar | 11540 | 
| Igbo calendar | 540–541 | 
| Iranian calendar | 918–919 | 
| Islamic calendar | 946–947 | 
| Japanese calendar | Tenbun 9 (天文9年) | 
| Javanese calendar | 1458–1459 | 
| Julian calendar | 1540 MDXL | 
| Korean calendar | 3873 | 
| Minguo calendar | 372 before ROC 民前372年 | 
| Nanakshahi calendar | 72 | 
| Thai solar calendar | 2082–2083 | 
| Tibetan calendar | 阴土猪年 (female Earth-Pig) 1666 or 1285 or 513 — to — 阳金鼠年 (male Iron-Rat) 1667 or 1286 or 514 | 
Year 1540 (MDXL) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.