Uploaded June 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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What is the Origin and Reason for Gray Eyes?
Chapters:
0:00 Gray Eyes
0:35 Gray vs Blue Eyes
1:23 Origin of Gray Eyes
2:08 Physiological Reasons for Gray Eyes
4:59 Broader Reason for Gray Eyes
What is the origin of gray eyes, what are some of the differences between gray and blue eyes, and why did gray eyes develop in the first place? Now gray eyes are generally considered the second-rarest eye color in the world after green, with estimates of around 3% of the global population having them, and they are super rare in the US, at less than 1% of the population.
An interesting point to note is that gray eyes were actually included in the first ever Clinical iris colour classification scale going all the way back to 1843. The scale included 5 color categories: Gray; Blue; Hazel; Brown; & Black. So how can you tell if you have gray eyes vs blue eyes? Well although this isn’t an exact science, gray eyes obviously have much more of a gray hue to them than blue eyes and usually look a bit more cloudy. Under magnification as well, gray eyes often exhibit small flecks of yellow and brown in the iris, with this photo showing that detail quite well.
Although people with blue eyes can also have flecks of other colors as well, my eyes are blue for instance but they have flecks of yellow in them, it is more unusual for people with blue eyes to have flecks of brown in them as well. It can be tricky however to separate certain eye colors in general, especially in certain lighting conditions. To make matters more confusing as well, there can also be variations in color and hybrid eye colors, with Blue-grey, green-grey, and even hazel-grey hues possible.
So what is the origin of gray eyes? What we do know is that gray eyes, although rare, are found in higher rates among the Algerian Shawia people of Northwest Africa, as well as in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. They are also found at relatively higher rates in Europe, especially in countries such as Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Ireland and Finland.
Now let’s look at some of the physiological reasons and theories for gray eyes, which also further explains how they differ from blue eyes.
Sources:
Eye color - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_color
Gray eyes: A rare and beautiful eye color - allaboutvision.com/eye-care/eye-anatomy/gray-eyes
Understanding Genetics: Human Health and the Genome (archive.org)
The World's Population By Eye Color - worldatlas.com/society/the-world-s-population-by-eye-color.html
Grigore M, Avram A. IRIS COLOUR CLASSIFICATION SCALES--THEN AND NOW. Rom J Ophthalmol. 2015 Jan-Mar;59(1):29-33. PMID: 27373112; PMCID: PMC5729215 - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5729215
Grey Eyes: How Rare Are They? warbyparker.com/learn/grey-eyes
What color are your eyes exactly? edow.com/general-eye-care/eyecolor/#:~:text=Gray%20eyes%20may%20be%20called,the%20colors%20of%20the%20iris).
How to Feel Energized & Sleep Better With One Morning Activity | Dr. Andrew Huberman (youtube.com)
Why People With Gray Eyes Are More Sensitive To Light (healthdigest.com)
Light therapy: Not just for seasonal depression? - Harvard Health
Why is the sky blue? - Met Office
Are grey eyes rare? Discover more about this unique eye colour Are grey eyes rare? Discover more about this unique eye colour - Glasses Direct Blog
The World's Population By Eye Color - WorldAtlas
Chaoui people - Wikipedia
Melanin - Wikipedia
Mie scattering - Wikipedia
Rayleigh scattering - Wikipedia
Andrew Huberman - https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/andrew-huberman
Creative Commons Imagery:
Martin Mystère File:Gray eye, Northern Italy.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International | Creative Commons
Deanern1 File:Gray eyes.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
#grayeyes #genetics #ancestry
Check Out Next: What is the Origin & Reason for Blue Eyes? youtube.com/watch?v=GZjAHA_G004
Please Buy Me a Coffee - buymeacoffee.com/celtichistory
Please support this channel on Patreon and get ad-free videos and other benefits: patreon.com/historydecoded
Subscribe to Celtic History Decoded: youtube.com/channel/UCCS3M_uNHH2iOJkpGhkO2SA?sub_confirmation=1
Check out my merch store and please help support this channel - celtic-history-decoded.creator-spring.com - Full terms and conditions can be found on Spring’s website.
Follow Celtic History Decoded on Instagram - instagram.com/celtichistorydecoded
Follow Celtic History Decoded on Tik Tok - tiktok.com/@celtichistorydecoded
What is the Origin and Reason for Gray Eyes?
Chapters:
0:00 Gray Eyes
0:35 Gray vs Blue Eyes
1:23 Origin of Gray Eyes
2:08 Physiological Reasons for Gray Eyes
4:59 Broader Reason for Gray Eyes
What is the origin of gray eyes, what are some of the differences between gray and blue eyes, and why did gray eyes develop in the first place? Now gray eyes are generally considered the second-rarest eye color in the world after green, with estimates of around 3% of the global population having them, and they are super rare in the US, at less than 1% of the population.
An interesting point to note is that gray eyes were actually included in the first ever Clinical iris colour classification scale going all the way back to 1843. The scale included 5 color categories: Gray; Blue; Hazel; Brown; & Black. So how can you tell if you have gray eyes vs blue eyes? Well although this isn’t an exact science, gray eyes obviously have much more of a gray hue to them than blue eyes and usually look a bit more cloudy. Under magnification as well, gray eyes often exhibit small flecks of yellow and brown in the iris, with this photo showing that detail quite well.
Although people with blue eyes can also have flecks of other colors as well, my eyes are blue for instance but they have flecks of yellow in them, it is more unusual for people with blue eyes to have flecks of brown in them as well. It can be tricky however to separate certain eye colors in general, especially in certain lighting conditions. To make matters more confusing as well, there can also be variations in color and hybrid eye colors, with Blue-grey, green-grey, and even hazel-grey hues possible.
So what is the origin of gray eyes? What we do know is that gray eyes, although rare, are found in higher rates among the Algerian Shawia people of Northwest Africa, as well as in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. They are also found at relatively higher rates in Europe, especially in countries such as Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Ireland and Finland.
Now let’s look at some of the physiological reasons and theories for gray eyes, which also further explains how they differ from blue eyes.
Sources:
Eye color - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_color
Gray eyes: A rare and beautiful eye color - allaboutvision.com/eye-care/eye-anatomy/gray-eyes
Understanding Genetics: Human Health and the Genome (archive.org)
The World's Population By Eye Color - worldatlas.com/society/the-world-s-population-by-eye-color.html
Grigore M, Avram A. IRIS COLOUR CLASSIFICATION SCALES--THEN AND NOW. Rom J Ophthalmol. 2015 Jan-Mar;59(1):29-33. PMID: 27373112; PMCID: PMC5729215 - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5729215
Grey Eyes: How Rare Are They? warbyparker.com/learn/grey-eyes
What color are your eyes exactly? edow.com/general-eye-care/eyecolor/#:~:text=Gray%20eyes%20may%20be%20called,the%20colors%20of%20the%20iris).
How to Feel Energized & Sleep Better With One Morning Activity | Dr. Andrew Huberman (youtube.com)
Why People With Gray Eyes Are More Sensitive To Light (healthdigest.com)
Light therapy: Not just for seasonal depression? - Harvard Health
Why is the sky blue? - Met Office
Are grey eyes rare? Discover more about this unique eye colour Are grey eyes rare? Discover more about this unique eye colour - Glasses Direct Blog
The World's Population By Eye Color - WorldAtlas
Chaoui people - Wikipedia
Melanin - Wikipedia
Mie scattering - Wikipedia
Rayleigh scattering - Wikipedia
Andrew Huberman - https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/andrew-huberman
Creative Commons Imagery:
Martin Mystère File:Gray eye, Northern Italy.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International | Creative Commons
Deanern1 File:Gray eyes.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
#grayeyes #genetics #ancestry
