From Cleopatra to George Washington: The 20 Most Famous Redheads

Undoubtedly the most famous redhead in British history, she used her naturally flamboyant hair color to cement her image as queen. Legend has it that the women of her court dyed their hair to imitate their queen’s glamorous “red curls.” Elizabeth’s royal hair became so closely associated with her that she single-handedly launched the redhead trend during England’s Golden Age.

Before becoming the portly, discontented monarch that many of us recognize in later portraits, Henry was a tall, athletic young king with strikingly red hair. He also had three children who inherited his temperament and red hair. Henry VIII helped establish the genetic legacy of red hair for future members of the British royal family, passing on auburn hair to his son Edward and his daughters Mary and Elizabeth.

Most schoolchildren learn about George Washington by seeing his portrait, in which he is depicted wearing a white powdered wig. Few know that beneath those powdered wigs, Washington was actually a natural redhead. He is known to have preferred the ease of simply powdering his own hair rather than wearing a full wig.

Thomas Jefferson joins his compatriot George Washington, another Founding Father, in the pantheon of famous redheads. Jefferson was known for his sandy-red hair, and he, too, often powdered it to maintain a professional appearance. It’s easy to imagine the sparks flying between his intellect and his hair, renowned for its vibrant color.

Some historians describe the Celtic warrior queen as having hair “that fell to her knees.” Boudicca terrorized the Romans during her uprising and nearly drove them out of Britain. When we picture her rushing into battle in her chariot, her flame-colored hair must have looked like a veritable battle standard.

Sir Winston Churchill had red hair before he became the famous white-haired British prime minister. The young Winston earned the nickname “Copper” because of his red hair during his early years as a soldier and journalist. Churchill would go on to lead the free world during World War II as one of history’s greatest orators.

Historical sources differ on the color of Alexander the Great’s hair, but many ancient sources mention that it was Venetian blonde or had reddish highlights. Given that he ruled one of the greatest empires in ancient history, it’s safe to say that he knew how to make the most of it.

The great emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was nicknamed “Barbarossa,” which means “red beard” in Italian. Frederick Barbarossa ruled with an iron fist in the 12th century and strove to consolidate his power in Germany and Italy. Stories about his red beard were passed down from generation to generation after his death.

Van Gogh’s self-portraits clearly show that this artistic genius proudly displayed his red hair. Combined with his unusually colored complexion, his beard and hair helped define some of his most famous paintings. It is hard to imagine his radiant face without that distinctive orange-red hair.

As his nickname “Red” suggests, this Nordic explorer was given that name because of his magnificent red beard and hair. The Viking chieftain was exiled from Iceland due to his aggressive nature and went on to found the first settlement in Greenland. You have to be pretty tough to survive in the North Atlantic, and his name suggests he had the fiery spirit needed to rise to that challenge.

The famous “father of modern science” is said to have actually had red hair. He spent his life observing the stars through his telescope, proving that the Earth revolves around the Sun. One can almost see the irony in the fact that a man with sun-colored hair was the one who placed the Sun at the center of everything.

Although it is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible, Mary Magdalene has been depicted as a fiery redhead in Western art for centuries. Artists found it fashionable to paint her this way, as a symbol of her fiery personality. Even though this is more of a cultural legend than a proven fact, she remains one of the most famous “redheads” in human history.

Most early biographies and paintings of Christopher Columbus depict him as having blue eyes and red hair when he was younger. Although his hair turned white with age, most sources agree that his hair and eyes were significantly lighter than those of most of his Mediterranean compatriots.

Malcolm X was given the nickname “Red” when he was younger because his hair sometimes took on a reddish hue. His family background was very diverse, and his hair was a reflection of that. It’s a fascinating detail in the personal history of a man who would go on to change the course of social justice in the United States.

This legendary composer was nicknamed “the red-haired priest” because of the fiery color of his hair and his profession as a tonsured Catholic priest. He composed The Four Seasons, and it was impossible to forget him once you’d seen him walk into a room. You only need to look at a few of his portraits to understand where that nickname came from.

As the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, Roxelana rose from the status of an unknown captive to become one of the most powerful women in the history of the Ottoman Empire. She was known for her fiery red hair, which stood out among the darker-haired women at the sultan’s court and helped her capture his attention. History will remember her as the woman who practically rewrote the laws of the empire.

Few rulers of the Roman Empire are as infamous as Nero. His surname, Ahenobarbus, literally means “bronze beard” or “red beard.” While his reputation as a ruler is undoubtedly controversial, his physical appearance has been extensively documented by Roman historians.

Everyone knows Samuel Clemens as an old man with a gigantic white mustache and a matching head of curly hair. However, Twain was actually a redhead when he was younger, which annoyed him greatly, as he often recounted with humor. He liked to include this anecdote in his speeches and writings.

While modern films often depict her with jet-black hair, historical evidence and portraits from the Roman era suggest that the Egyptian queen may actually have had red hair. As a member of the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, her ancestors were Macedonians, which makes a coppery or auburn hair color much more likely than most people realize.

The seventh U.S. president was surprisingly redheaded. His legendary temperament and skill with a sword were matched only by the fiery red hair that crowned his head. It eventually turned white and stood on end for reasons modern science still doesn’t understand, but we can still imagine him roaring at the cars with his intense red hair.