The Anthropometric Committee of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists ( HrdliEka, '36) has included in the list for special preliminary survey the following item: "Hair Color. It is desirable that everything relating to the classification and nomenclature of the color of human hair be gathered from the literature and presented in suitable form. (This exclusive of hair-color standards.) " The color of the hair has been determined almost invariably by subjective analysis with only an occasional effort to arrive at a method with an objective approach. This has caused obvious difficulties since the same name has been frequently used for two different colors not only by two different observers, but, also, by the same observer at different times.The problem is difficult for a number of other reasons but, chiefly, because the factors which produce hair color are so little understood. However, in spite of these obstacles hair color was one of the first criteria of race differentiation and has been observed and recorded in most surveys in physical anthropology. This paper presents chronologically a general outline of the classifications of hair color and of the chief investigations and opinions possibly affecting these classifications. The subject of hair-color standards has been included since it has been a factor in influencing the designation of hair colors.