CANADA Canada - Montreal, WhtMale 20s, bright red hair, 'Michel' on bracelet, Jul'11

[branmuffin]

I have never been to Canada.

That aside, how common is bright red hair amongst French Canadians? And what about in France?

My French relatives are from a fading sub group where red heads are rare (to say the least) and likely to stand out. I dont know about the over all French population though.

Most redheads' origins are from Ireland and Scotland but red hair can be seen in many ethnic backgrounds hovering around 2%. In Jewish populations usually the Ashkenazi, redheads make up about 4% of the population. The bible refers to many individuals as having red hair. This article dating from May 2013 is about a gathering of redheads in Montreal. It states that Quebec also has around 4% of the population as being redheads which is above the norm. Many of the attendees who comment have French names. I don't know if it was an annual event or this was the first one.

'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration

Mount Royal park usually turns red only in the autumn but a large group of redheads transformed the mountain to that shade on a spring Saturday instead.

montreal.ctvnews.ca

 

[BootsMinor]

I have never been to Canada.

That aside, how common is bright red hair amongst French Canadians? And what about in France?

My French relatives are from a fading sub group where red heads are rare (to say the least) and likely to stand out. I dont know about the over all French population though.

There are quite a few French redheads which is understandable since two of the main sources of early immigrants were Scotland and France.

 

[Cryptic]

There are quite a few French redheads which is understandable since two of the main sources of early immigrants were Scotland and France.

Your mention of Scotland reminds me that France also has a Celtic area (Brittany). I would not be surprised if that area is the source of a good number of French red heads.

 

[Cryptic]

It states that Quebec also has around 4% of the population as being redheads which is above the norm.

Wow, I never would have guessed.

Then again, my contact with people of French origin is pretty regionalized. There were simply not a lot of red heads in Marseille 40(+) years ago.

 

[branmuffin]

Wow, I never would have guessed.

Then again, my contact with people of French origin is pretty regionalized. There were simply not a lot of red heads in Marseille 40(+) years ago.

You have to remember that the French who migrated to Canada back in the 1700s were more likely to intermarry with people of Irish, Scottish and English ethnicity rather than those in Europe who were mixing with Spanish, Italian, Portuguese ethnicities that have more southern European characteristics. Even the French language spoken in Canada is very different than European French, it's more of an archaic style. Language is a living thing that is influenced by other languages.