# How common are real red-heads? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625 "2005-08-11T19:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Future\_days](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@Future\_days](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_days)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/1 "2005-08-11T19:33:16Z")
It’s just that if you go on a porn site and say they have a red-head section, it’s fairly obvious that most of them are not true red heads, which makes it a bit pointless really! ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/2 "2005-08-11T19:39:28Z")
The statistic I once remember hearing is 1 in 20. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/3 "2005-08-11T19:51:34Z")
1 in 20 of what? Reason I ask is that there are a lot of Hispanic and Asian folks around here, so redheads are pretty darned rare, and much less common than 1 in 20. Probably more like 1 in 2,000. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/4 "2005-08-11T19:56:56Z")
Wow. Wiki has an article on [red hair](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair). > [@](#): > > Scotland has the highest proportion of red-heads of any country worldwide with 13% of the population having red hair. A further 40% of Scots carry the so-called “ginger gene”. Ireland has the second highest red-headed population in the world amounting to 10% of its inhabitants. > > \ > > It is estimated that between 2% - 3% of the United States population have red hair. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/5 "2005-08-11T19:59:18Z")
> [@Future days](#): > > It’s just that if you go on a porn site and say they have a red-head section, it’s fairly obvious that most of them are not true red heads, which makes it a bit pointless really! Well, most of them in the “huge breast” section aren’t true huge breasted either, but you don’t hear much complaint about that! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/6 "2005-08-11T20:21:15Z")
Of the three I’ve known well enough to be sure they were “real” one was dead common, the other two fairly classy. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/7 "2005-08-11T20:30:28Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Wow. Wiki has an article on [red hair](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair). Ok, just read the Wikipedia article and this sentence about people who are attracted to redheads caught my attention: > [@](#): > > While some people favor the red hair solely for its exotic aesthetic pleasantness, others are more passionate and insist on giving their attentions only to natural redheads because they possess certain desired physical features such as pale skin that never tans, freckles, **light pink areolas** , and red pubic hair. “light pink areolas” is an exclusively redhead characteristic? I’ve never heard that before. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/8 "2005-08-11T20:37:59Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > “light pink areolas” is an exclusively redhead characteristic? I’ve never heard that before. Where are you getting from that sentence that it’s exclusive to redheads? ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/9 "2005-08-11T20:42:29Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Where are you getting from that sentence that it’s exclusive to redheads? I dunno, that’s was the impression I was getting. But you’re right, I guess non-red headed people also have freckles and skin that doesn’t tan. I just thought it was a really weird comment. ---
**Author:** ![Future\_days](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@Future\_days](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_days)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/10 "2005-08-11T20:44:14Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Wow. Wiki has an article on This is unreal. Look at the picture of the “red-head”! look at her eye-brows! I’m pretty sure she’s a bottle red. Poor show wiki… :wally ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/11 "2005-08-11T20:49:43Z")
Uh, it’s really common for darker shades of redheads to have brownish eyebrows. I do. I do find that color a little unlikely, but not because of the brown eyebrows. It’s just a very unlikely color in and of itself. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/12 "2005-08-11T20:50:28Z")
> [@Future days](#): > > This is unreal. Look at the picture of the “red-head”! look at her eye-brows! I’m pretty sure she’s a bottle red. Poor show wiki… :wally If you float your mouse on the picture it says “a woman with dyed red hair”, so I’m \*\*certain \*\*she ain’t real. 🙂 You have to be careful about wiki, since anyone can put anything in there. This article looks pretty good, though. ---
**Author:** ![Future\_days](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@Future\_days](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_days)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/13 "2005-08-11T20:51:26Z")
> [@Hello Again](#): > > Uh, it’s really common for darker shades of redheads to have brownish eyebrows. I do. > > I do find that color a little unlikely, but not because of the brown eyebrows. It’s just a very unlikely color in and of itself. Yes, it looks like an artificial shade. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/14 "2005-08-11T20:58:04Z")
Hi, I’m a real red head (w/ almost black eyebrows btw, my hair was black when I was born but turned auburn by the time I was a year old. ) and I had always heard 2% or so as well. I didn’t know that about Scottish folk having such a high percentage, which is ironic since just about every person who comments on my redheadedness (especially if they know about my other 3 red-headed siblings) has to say “You must be Irish”. I actually have a very English last name, and closest relatives are Scottish, English and Norweigan with “wee bit of Irish” several generations back on one grandmothers side. I have Cherokee Indian thats much closer… ---
**Author:** ![Future\_days](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@Future\_days](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_days)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/15 "2005-08-11T21:02:21Z")
Yes, I’m from Scotland and I know a few real red heads. I wonder what percentage of people have red hair and red eyebrows? Probably very small (except here and Ireland of coarse!) ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/16 "2005-08-11T21:03:43Z")
my grandmother had **red** hair and she was German/Hungarian. as far as i know, there are no redheads in the Scottish branch of my family going back 3 generations. i am not a redhead but think i have the “ginger gene” i’ve got red highlights … ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/17 "2005-08-11T21:04:00Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > I dunno, that’s was the impression I was getting. But you’re right, I guess non-red headed people also have freckles and skin that doesn’t tan. I just thought it was a really weird comment. Pretty much any comprehensive article on redheads is going to have to deal with why so many men have the hots for them. ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/18 "2005-08-11T21:05:08Z")
my brother has blond hair, black eyebrows, and a red beard (when he lets it grown in, anyway) none of us has been able to figure that one out. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Future\_days](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@Future\_days](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_days)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/19 "2005-08-11T21:11:04Z")
> [@Pixisis](#): > > as far as i know, there are no redheads in the Scottish branch of my family going back 3 generations. Yes but not all Scottish people are red heads - only 13%. There’s none in my family either. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625/20 "2005-08-11T21:14:13Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Pretty much any comprehensive article on redheads is going to have to deal with why so many men have the hots for them. I guess. And I can see the pubic hair coment, I’d just never thought of areolas of being an issue. (in retrospect, that was incredibly naive since just about anything can be fetishized) Plus, I’ve never really paid any attention to areola color so I’ve never noticed if pink is common or uncommon or what. Here we go: [two redheads](http://www.bermanism.com/images/Oakland05/IMG_0501.jpg) (and a blond). (for the record, almost all my ancestors are Irish and Scottish with a little English mixed in but I’m the _only_ redhead in the family. My friend is mostly German.) [Red eyebrows](http://www.bermanism.com/images/hjbday/DSC00096.jpg). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-real-red-heads/316625.md?page=2)