a lot longer than that. i looked on line and found "ginger"examples from the 1700's. a brit thing.
Redheads in Dublin were the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Adam Smith said that Irish prostitutes in London were perhaps the most beautiful women in the British dominions.
Well okay. . . but were they red headed?
I am left wondering how long the term "gingers" has been commonly used in referring to redheads. Must have been some time in the last decade or two...