No other hair color is the subject of as many claims as red hair. As long as there are redheads, the prejudices won't lessen. Over the centuries, the prejudices have only grown. And it isn't only witches and wizards, trolls and other magical beings that are suspected among redheads. In some countries the belief persists that people with red hair don't die but become vampires, and so reach eternal life far sooner than anyone with another hair color. Personality traits also precede redheads.

They are said to be stubborn, headstrong and especially insensitive to pain. Perhaps some of these prejudices are true. But where do redheads really come from, and how does the inheritance of red hair work? In fact, people with red hair are rare, and if they gain fame, they are remembered far more than people with any other hair color.

origin of red hair

Origin and heritage of red hair

After Scotland, Ireland has the most redheads. Looking further to England and the USA, you find that the share of the redheaded population here is four percent. The origin of red hair is most concentrated in Scotland, at 14 percent. In the "land of redheads" (Ireland), it is only 10 percent. In Germany and other Western countries, about two percent of residents are redheads. And if you look even further across the world's population, to Asia or even Africa, you see that there are far fewer redheads still.

This is mainly because each person's gene variant determines their hair color. More precisely, chromosome 16 determines our hair color, because this gene determines the pigments we carry in us and which therefore show up in our hair. The darker a person's complexion, the less likely it is that they will be blessed with a head of red hair.

 

Occurrence of redheads:

  • 4% of the population in England and the USA
  • 14% in Scotland
  • 10% in Ireland
  • 2% in Germany
 

Origin of red hair and gene variants

The origin of red hair naturally makes people curious, and so there are researchers interested in evolutionary anthropology who investigate where red hair comes from. They have identified various gene variants that lead to red hair. These same scientists also found that there were already redheads among the Neanderthals, so the origin of red hair may have been in our genes for many thousands of years. If both parents carry the gene for red hair, a child with red hair will probably be born in the end. However, that doesn't mean the parents must be redheads themselves.

The red gene can be passed down for many generations before it shows. A deficiency of the eumelanin gene always means that a person has not only red hair but also fair skin. This gene also ensures that redheads are less sensitive to pain and carry especially high levels of vitamin D. So having red hair doesn't only have positive effects. But anyone who isn't a redhead and still wants to enjoy the sex appeal of this mane can always dye their hair red.