# How long is the average female skull (vertical) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572 "2015-04-26T14:32:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cathy967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Cathy967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cathy967)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/1 "2015-04-26T14:32:17Z")
I’ve been really self conscious about my head and have been ever since I was a kid. I measured it and it was 8.5 inches long, and all the other girls at my school seem to have smaller heads than me, and it’s been really bothering me lately to the point where I don’t feel like going to school. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/2 "2015-04-26T14:34:19Z")
> [@](#): > > How long is the average female skull (vertical) “Need answer fast”? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cathy967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Cathy967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cathy967)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/3 "2015-04-26T14:38:05Z")
Yes please. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/4 "2015-04-26T17:53:41Z")
[https://www.google.com/search?q=female+skull#q=female+skull+dimensions](https://www.google.com/search?q=female+skull#q=female+skull+dimensions) ---
**Author:** ![SmallBrownBurro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SmallBrownBurro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmallBrownBurro)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/5 "2015-04-26T20:09:30Z")
Based on this you seem to be totally average: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/HeadAnthropometry.JPG) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/HeadAnthropometry.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/6 "2015-04-26T20:29:33Z")
Somethings up with that link. For the relevant section, “Menton to top of head (14)”, some of the given measurements don’t actually correspond with each other. For example, the fifth percentile for women’s head height is given as “20.4 centimeters (8.3 inches)”. But 20.4 cm=8.03 inches, and 8.3 inches=21.082 centimeters. I’m not sure I would trust something with such basic errors. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/7 "2015-04-26T23:00:53Z")
Honey,you’ve got room for a brain. Hopefully ,you’ll use it. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/8 "2015-04-26T23:34:50Z")
Let me go make some measurements in my collection… ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/9 "2015-04-27T00:53:04Z")
> [@Cathy967](#): > > I’ve been really self conscious about my head and have been ever since I was a kid. I measured it and it was 8.5 inches long, and all the other girls at my school seem to have smaller heads than me, and it’s been really bothering me lately to the point where I don’t feel like going to school. What difference does it make? I have a big giant head, and it’s worked out fine for me. Seriously, I always have to go for the largest hat size, and most “one size fits all” hats don’t fit me. OTOH, my father, an absolutely brilliant professor with the degrees and accolades to back it up, has such a tiny head that he has to have his hats specially made. I gave him a Giants championship cap for the holidays this year, and I had to buy him a child/youth size for it to fit properly. Fortunately he was just pleased that it fit and didn’t mind at all that it was a kid’s hat. Sometimes we tease him by calling him “pinhead”. You need to figure out what’s really bothering you, because head size ain’t it. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/10 "2015-04-27T01:10:27Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > What difference does it make? I have a big giant head, and it’s worked out fine for me. (snip) Really? Because almost everyone I know would like a little head. ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/11 "2015-04-27T01:25:32Z")
Why the long face? ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/12 "2015-04-29T18:53:48Z")
Back when I was eight years old, the teacher had us all measure the circumference of our heads for a science/stats experiment, and my head-circumference was the largest, even exceeding the teacher’s. Hats are an ongoing problem, but unless I’ve specifically pointed out my extraordinary head length, people have never mentioned it (at least not that I’ve heard). I have secret belief that my extra head-capacity contains a unique neural module, the purpose of which will one day be revealed to an awe-struck world. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/13 "2015-04-29T19:46:57Z")
Perhaps try a hairstyle that is more flattering to your face/skull shape? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/14 "2015-04-29T21:08:14Z")
I have been on this planet for 32 years, and I am more observant than most. In all that time, I have never once said (or thought), “damn, that chick has a big head.” ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/15 "2015-04-30T15:07:43Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I have been on this planet for 32 years, and I am more observant than most. In all that time, I have never once said (or thought), “damn, that chick has a big head.” Merv Griffin rather famously said he only chose people for TV roles because of their big heads. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/16 "2015-04-30T15:20:07Z")
I was curious, so I just measured my head. It’s 8.5 inches, apparently totally average. And to my knowledge, nobody’s ever remarked upon the hugeness of my head. It looks average to me. I took a picture of my head measurement about two minutes ago, so you can decide how freakishly big my head may be. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/65837114@N00/17322125641/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/65837114@N00/17322125641/) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/17 "2015-04-30T15:20:31Z")
Slightly off-topic: I always get Merv Griffin confused with [Merv Hughes](https://www.google.com/search?q=cricketer+merv&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS555US555&espv=2&biw=931&bih=1050&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=D0hCVa2iC8miNp2lgKAB&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=1.1), which leads to some strange mental images. ETA: … isn’t that a six inch ruler? ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/18 "2015-04-30T15:40:27Z")
Yes, it’s a six-inch ruler. It’s all I had on hand. You can measure things longer than six inches with it if it’s an emergency. I may have lost a few fractions of an inch in accuracy in transferring the ruler down my face, I apologize. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/19 "2015-04-30T15:44:02Z")
You are a fraud, madam! Just kidding. You’re quite good looking. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572/20 "2015-04-30T15:46:28Z")
Has your head ever killed a bird? Are you involved with a bad breaker-upper? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-average-female-skull-vertical/718572.md?page=2)