The term comes from English folklore, where it was believed that this formation was a sign of a woman who'd outlive her husband. The peak refers to the beak or bill of a headdress, particularly a widow's hood, making people think a woman was being given a mourning hood for her husband's imminent death.

Where does a widow's peak come from?

Why is it called a widow's peak? The term “widow's peak” may be a holdover from 18th-century England. Tradition was that when a husband died, his wife would wear a black triangular hat or hood with the point falling in the middle of the forehead.

Are you born with a widows peak?

Though a widow's peak hairline can be developed later in life as a sign of oncoming baldness, many people (both men and women) are born with one. Having this hairline–even with a prominent peak– isn't necessarily a sign that you need to worry about thinning hair.