Objective　To explore the origin of superior thyroid artery and its clinical significance.  Methods　The bilateral cervical regions of 118 cadavers fixed with formalin were dissected. The origin of the superior thyroid artery and the distance from the origin to the common carotid artery bifurcation were observed and statistically analyzed.　Results　The origin of the superior thyroid artery could be divided into three types: the common carotid artery bifurcation（A）, the external carotid artery（B） and the common carotid artery（C）. The percentages of three types were 30.93%, 37.71% and 30.51% respectively. There was a significant difference in the distribution of the origin of the superior thyroid artery between the left and right sides（P<0.05）. The distance from the origin of the superior thyroid artery originating from the external carotid artery to the common carotid artery bifurcation was less than the distance from the origin of the superior thyroid artery originating from the common carotid artery to the common carotid artery bifurcation.　Conclusions    The superior thyroid artery is one of the most important arteries in head and neck surgery. Its retrospective analysis will provide anatomic basis for clinical study.