My grandmother once showed me an envelope with a large swatch of her hair which was cut in about 1895. It was very red... not the 'bright orange' that is so eye catching, but a deeper, lovely golden red. My father was often called "Red" by co-workers.. but he was balding & turning gray by the time I was old enough to be aware of it.
   And my hair was called 'auburn' by many and just 'red' my others for many years.... and in just the right light you can still see faint hints of it in the gray. Same with my younger brother. (My mother's family doesn't seem to have had and redheads, so mine was less obvious than my grandmothers.)

So far as I can remember, none of us ever had negative attitudes expressed about our hair, and I don't remember any kids in school with red hair having problems.

I 'suspect' that hair color was linked in some cultures to those whose political or cultural leanings was at odds with their own. In the UK, that might be more common, but in the US, it was sort of standard to see all varieties. (I suppose that in the 19th century, immigrants were commonly rated by physical characteristics )


and I never heard of hair being called 'ginger' before now... *shrug*