12 Strange Facts About Redheads You Never Knew

How rare are redheads?

Redheads make up only about 2% of the world’s population, but they have spawned an impressive body of folklore: They’re temperamental, they’re tied to the devil, they’re witches and they turn into vampires when they die—allegedly. As far as we know, none of these tales about the rarest hair color in the world are true, but redheads certainly occupy a unique place in human history.

“Red is such an extraordinarily important color for the human species, and it does get associated with passion and fire,” says Jacky Colliss Harvey, author of Red: A History of the Redhead.

We combed through the research about this inherited trait and spoke to anthropologists and dermatologists alike about the stereotypes, myths and fascinating tidbits about redheads. Some are weird facts about the human body, while others are just plain fascinating. Here are some fiery facts about our redheaded friends.

Non-redheads can have a redheaded child

Red hair is a recessive trait that’s inherited. That means both parents must have this gene variant in order to contribute it to their offspring. But here’s the important part: Those parents don’t necessarily have to have red hair themselves to have ginger offspring. (Check out these inherited traits from mom and dad.)

Parents can be carriers for recessive genes, carrying instructions for making red hair hidden in their DNA. As a result, families that haven’t had a redhead for decades may suddenly have a carrot-top baby.

Red hair and blue eyes are the rarest combination

The MC1R (or melanocortin 1 receptor) gene determines hair, skin and eye color. If you’re a redhead, your MC1R gene has a mutation—or possibly several. It’s why redheads are so rare. And if you have red hair and blue eyes, the rarest hair and eye color combination, the genetic stars were in alignment. According to evolutionary biology professor Mark Elgar, PhD, of the University of Melbourne, the odds of having both traits are around 0.17%—that’s about 13 million people out of the 7.6 billion on earth.

But why is this combo so rare, especially if blue eyes aren’t the rarest eye color? Many genes and gene variations play a role. But beyond that, both traits are recessive, and having two parents who can pass down two sets of recessive genes is very unlikely.

Redheads are not going extinct

Red may be the rarest hair color in the world, but the world is big and redheads are here to stay. While they make up about 2% of the population, that means 158 million gingers are walking the earth. Fun fact: The highest concentration of redheads—at 10%—is in Ireland. But just because they are rare, doesn’t mean these genes are being diluted.

Even when you can’t see recessive characteristics, such as red hair, they’re still a part of a person’s DNA—even if the person is displaying dominant genes like brown hair and brown eyes. Which means that it’s perfectly plausible for red hair to rear its carrot top down the family line.

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