'barehead' is a compound of Old English elements 'bær' (meaning 'naked') and 'heafod' (meaning 'head').

'bare' comes from Old English 'bær' and 'head' from Old English 'heafod'; the compound form 'barehead' appeared in later Middle English and Early Modern English as a literal compound meaning 'naked head' or 'head without covering'.

Initially, it simply denoted a 'naked head'; over time it came to be used specifically for a head 'without a hat' or 'uncovered by headwear'.