Red hair
A rare human hair colour ranging from deep burgundy to strawberry blond
No single value: Red hair is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, red.
Red hair is a natural human hair colour, most common in people of Northwestern European and Celtic ancestry, but found worldwide. It ranges from deep burgundy and copper to red-orange and strawberry blond, caused by high levels of pheomelanin pigment and low eumelanin. Red hair is inherited as a recessive trait and is often linked with fair skin and freckles.
- Red hair is rare, found in 2โ6% of Northwestern Europeans
- Scotland has the highest proportion of red-haired people worldwide
- Red hair is caused by variants of the MC1R gene
- Shades range from deep burgundy to strawberry blond
- Red hair is often linked with freckles and fair skin
What colour is Red hair?
Red hair is a natural human hair colour that appears in about 2โ6% of people of Northwestern European ancestry, especially those with Celtic roots, and in smaller numbers elsewhere. Its shades include deep burgundy, bright copper, auburn, burnt orange, red-orange, and strawberry blond. The colour stands out for its high levels of pheomelanin pigment and low levels of eumelanin, often accompanied by fair skin and freckles. Red hair can also occur in people with darker skin, though less commonly.
Where does Red hair come from?
The term 'redhead' has been used in English since at least 1510. Red hair is most frequent in the British Isles, especially Scotland and Ireland, and is also found among Jewish, Slavic, Berber, and some Asian populations. Genetic studies link red hair to variants of the MC1R gene on chromosome 16, inherited as a recessive trait. Ancient remains with red or auburn hair have been found in regions such as Armenia and China, showing its presence across different times and places.
How is Red hair made?
Red hair develops naturally in humans due to high levels of the pigment pheomelanin and low levels of eumelanin in the hair. The genetic basis is most often a variant of the MC1R gene, which must be inherited from both parents for the trait to appear. Several different changes in this gene can result in red hair, and other genes may also influence its expression.
What Red hair means
Red hair has carried different cultural associations. In Europe, it was sometimes seen as a stereotypically Jewish trait, and in Polynesian culture, reddish hair was a sign of descent from high-ranking ancestors. In some periods and places, red hair has been linked with certain stereotypes or social meanings, but these vary widely and are not universal.
Red around the world
What the red family means from country to country.
It is a custom to wear new red underwear on New Year's Eve for luck and love in the coming year. Shop windows fill with it in December.
Luck and prosperityLove and desireSource: New Year's EveRosso corsa, racing red, was the colour given to Italian cars in early international motor racing. Ferrari kept it, and it is now the colour people expect of the brand.
Festival and celebrationPrideEnergySource: Rosso corsaThe flag is red with a green five-pointed star. Red has been the colour of the ruling Alaouite dynasty since the seventeenth century.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of MoroccoMarrakesh is called the Red City. Its walls and buildings are made of, or painted to match, the reddish clay of the plain around it.
Nature and renewalSource: MarrakeshThe old Russian word krasny meant both red and beautiful. Red Square was named for its beauty, and the best corner of a peasant house was the red corner, where icons hung.
Festival and celebrationJoySource: Red SquareRed was the colour of the 1917 revolution and of the Soviet flag with its hammer and sickle. In the civil war that followed, the Reds fought the Whites.
Politics and protestSource: Flag of the Soviet UnionShades and relatives of Red hair
Red hair includes a range of shades, from deep burgundy and auburn to copper, burnt orange, and strawberry blond. It may be confused with other reddish-brown hair colours, such as auburn, but true red hair is characterised by its higher pheomelanin content. Some people with dark hair may have red beards due to partial expression of the gene.
Questions people ask about Red hair
What colour is red hair?
Red hair ranges from deep burgundy and bright copper to burnt orange, red-orange, and strawberry blond. The exact shade depends on the amount of pheomelanin pigment in the hair.
Where is red hair most common?
Red hair is most common in Northwestern Europe, especially in the British Isles. Scotland has the highest proportion, followed by Ireland and Wales.
What causes red hair?
Red hair is caused by high levels of the pigment pheomelanin and low levels of eumelanin, usually due to variants of the MC1R gene inherited from both parents.
What does 'ginger hair' mean?
'Ginger hair' is another term for red hair, especially used in Britain and Ireland to describe people with this hair colour.
Is red hair disappearing?
Despite claims, red hair is not likely to disappear. The gene for red hair is recessive and can skip generations, so the potential for red hair remains in the population.
Good reading and sources
- BBC NEWS | UK | MagazineBBC, Article
- I too have ginger hair. Abusing us is not acceptable prejudiceThe Guardian, Article
- Harriet Harman says 'ginger rodent' comment was wrongBBC, Article
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Red hair", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
More of the red family
All of red
Red
Cinnabar
A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature ยท ๐ช๐ธ Spain +5
Red
Realgar
An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment ยท ๐จ๐ณ China +5
#E25822
Scarlet
A bright red with a touch of orange, long tied to power, sacrifice and sinNamed shade ยท ๐น๐ท Turkey +4
Red
Carmine
A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment ยท ๐ซ๐ท France +2
#E34234
Vermilion
A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment ยท ๐น๐ท Turkey +5
Red
Rubia
A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature ยท ๐ช๐ฌ Egypt +5
#DC143C
Crimson
A deep red with a hint of purple, once made from insectsNamed shade ยท ๐ณ๐ต Nepal
#E32636
Alizarin
A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye ยท ๐น๐ท Turkey +1
More colours tied to Ireland
The colours of Ireland
#00FF00
Green
The colour between cyan and yellow, seen widely in plants and natureBasic colour ยท ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland +1
#F4C430
Saffron
A yellow-orange shade named after the colour of saffron crocus threadsNamed shade ยท ๐ฎ๐ณ India +1
#4A412A
Pantone 448 C
A dull brown shade chosen to discourage smoking by making packaging unattractiveStandard colour ยท ๐ฆ๐บ Australia +5
#A52A2A
Auburn hair
A natural hair colour blending red and brown tonesNamed shade ยท ๐ณ๐ด Norway +4