TATTOO DESIGNS & SYMBOLS

Tattoo Designs & Symbols provides tattoo meanings, overviews and explanations of some of the
most popular tattoos and tattoo designs in the world today. Our list of Tattoo Designs & Symbols
is continually updated and we always welcome your comments and suggestions for new
meanings of tattoos. You'll find lots of tattoo ideas for men and tattoos for girls. Take your time have a good look around, get inspired!
Our Top 25 Tattoo Designs, based on Internet searches done.
Tribal Tattoos
The single most requested tattoo design. The most popular tribal designs are Maori, Haida and
Polynesian designs. There is also great interest in Native American tattoo designs. The term
"tribal" of course covers an astonishing array of tattoo design possibilities, from the traditional
tribal tattoos of indigenous and aboriginal cultures, to the latest in
graphic design for the body.

Star Designs
The star is a tattoo symbol popular with both men and women, and the Nautical Star tattoo
design has gone through a strong revival. Stars are often encountered as symbols, and many
cases the meaning of a particular star symbol may depend upon the number points it has, and
sometimes the orientation of these points as well.

Angel Tattoos
Angel tattoo designs have become increasingly popular; an angel is a
symbol of devotion, spirituality and faith and signifies a relationship
with God. An angel can be intended as a figure of guidance and protection. An angel is often
used as the centerpiece of a tattoo that is intended as a memorial.

Cross Tattoos
As a tattoo design or symbol, there is perhaps no religious icon or
symbol more universally recognized today than the Christian Cross.
Religious symbolism is prominently featured in several tattoo design genres, both ancient and

modern, and in fact it could be argued that all traditional tattooing among indigenous peoples has
a strong spiritual element. See also Celtic Cross, Maltese Cross and Iron Cross

Wings
As tattoos, the wing design is often infused with inspirational or
spiritual significance -- the angel motif for instance, a symbol of
guidance and protection. For those who dream of soaring the skies like a bird, the wing symbol
takes on the feathery aspect of a bird. As a tattoo design it can reflect the power of the eagle or
the lightness of the butterfly. Popular with both men and women.

Maori Tattoo Symbols

The distinctive school of Maori designs is the clear tribal favorite of
enthusiasts interested in tribal tattoo designs. Maori tattooing is
distinguished by the use of bold lines and the repetition of specific
design motifs that are prominent both in the tattooing or "moko" of the
Maori people of New Zealand and within other cultural artworks suck as carving and weaving.
Original Maori tattoos - Ta Moko - were specific to an individual and contained extensive
personal and family history in the designs.

Dragon Tattoos
A true classic tattoo design that shows the influence of Japanese and
Chinese culture in western tattooing. The dragon is a culturally farranging character whose apparent bad temper should be interpreted as simply amoral, neither
good nor evil. Popular with both men and women. See also Fire Dragons, Water Dragons &
Japanese Tattoo Designs.

Phoenix Tattoos
The phoenix is another tattoo design that illustrates the enduring
popularity of Japanese tattooing traditions. But the phoenix is also a
design with a rich mythological history in both Eastern and western
cultures. Tales of the phoenix appear in ancient Arabian, Greek, Roman,
and Far Eastern mythology. In both Greek and Egyptian tales, the phoenix represented the sun,
dying in flames at the end of the day and rising each morning. See also, Japanese Tattoo Designs

Butterfly Tattoo Designs

A generally feminine tattoo design choice and a perennial favorite. It's
ranking shows the growing influence that women have in tattoo
culture. Even so, the Butterfly is not entirely the exclusive domain of
the feminine. The Roman Emperor, Augustus, took it as his personal
symbol, and the warrior priests of the Mexican Popolucas peoples sported the Butterfly as a
motif on their breastplates. Their Butterfly was also the symbol of fire. Delightful, magical and
transformational, the Butterfly reminds its admirers of the mystery of nature and the richness of
human imagination.

Fairy Tattoo Designs

A tattoo design with a long history in story, myth and folklore. Fairies in
literature are often the personification of human wishes and desire in the form
of little people with magical powers. As a tattoo design they can be symbols
of youthful innocence and a desire to retain a child-like imagination, wonder and awe. Most
popular with women and a fairy is a design with a strong magical element.

Swallow Tattoos
The swallow & bluebird are another tattoo design that shows the enduring
popularity of nautical tattoo art. In ancient times, the swallow was
associated with the 'imperishable' stars and the souls of the dead. According to Greek legend,
secret texts told how to transform into a swallow, something the ancient deities liked to do. The
swallow is a tattoo design that is popular with both men and women.

Lion Tattoos
The influence of the power of the Lion's symbolism can be seen in it's
representation in both Chinese and Japanese art and mythology, as well
as, both Eastern and Western cultures. The Lion was often used as a
symbol of Royalty, as in many cultures it was considered the "King of
the Beasts". In early Christianity, as Jesus was seen to be the "King of Kings", he was often
represented by a Lion, and a Lion was the symbol of St. Mark. The Lion or Leo, is one of the
twelve signs of the Zodiac and represents the Sun.

Sun Designs & Symbols

The Sun as a tattoo design is a reflection of the Sun's profound
symbolic nature in most cultures around the world. As a tattoo design
and symbol, a Sun represents fertility, vitality, passion, courage and
eternally renewed youth, light and knowledge. The Sun was a symbol
of both royal and divine powers, adopted by both secular and religious authorities. The sun as a
tattoo is very popular with both men and women.

Celtic Tattoo Symbols

Celtic tattoo designs are primarily a genre of complex interwoven lines
representing knots, mazes, spirals and other figures. The intricate
interweaving showing no beginning and no end, reflective of the cycles of
the seasons and of life. Celtic knot designs while at first and foremost decorative on the surface,
are at their roots very culturally significant and deeply symbolic and are a distinctive way for
people to express their Celtic heritage.

Kanji Tattoo Symbols

Kanji tattoos account for nearly 20% of all Internet tattoo design
searches. The idea of expressing a soulful feeling with such an exotic
symbol is highly attractive. And the pitfalls are legend. For starters, kanji is not a traditional
Japanese tattoo. Its virtually unknown in Japan. But its a tattoo style that has become popular
among Westerners who believe that kanji identifies them with an Eastern philosophy based on
geishas and cherry blossoms.

Haida Tattoo Symbols

The Haida are renowned around the world for the beauty and complexity of
their art and images. The bold lines of the Haida designs make them
uniquely suited to be reproduced as tattoos. The Haida originally used
tattoos to depict family Clan Crests. Haida crests chronicled important
mythological events in the family or clan's history - usually when an ancestor encountered a
spiritual being in a supernatural context. The Haida were once one of the most heavily tattooed
indigenous people in the world, and were one of very few groups in recorded history to tattoo in
colour, using red as well as black.

Tiger Tattoos
Tiger tattoo designs are popular in both Eastern and Western tattoo genres,
and have a rich history in myths and legends in many cultures. Tigers are
associated with power, ferocity, passion and sensuality, beauty and speed,
cruelty and wrath. See also, Japanese Tattoo Designs

Rose Tattoos
A tattoo design with a rich history that crosses both gender lines and design
lines. The Rose in the West represents what the Lotus does in the East. A
symbol of love, but especially of a love that is pure. Because of the rose's
beauty, scent and shape, it is the ultimate floral symbol. Of all the flower tattoo designs, the rose
is still the most popular and the most requested. Interestingly, the rose is nearly as popular with
men as it is with women. See also, Flowers

Heart Symbols
Heart tattoos have been popular for well over a century. Heart tattoos
were very popular with Servicemen in WWII; tokens of their loved ones that accompanied them
and were a constant reminder of what they were fighting for. See also, Sacred Heart

Zodiac Symbols
Mankind has been fascinated by the zodiac for millennia, since we first
connected the dots between stars and named the constellations.
Searches for Zodiac symbols encompasses both the West and the East,
with people searching for Zodiac symbols that represent both the classic Greek / Roman Zodiac
and the Chinese Zodiac, as well as, searches for Zodiac signs rendered in Japanese Kanji.

Skull Tattoo Designs

Represented in a number of tattoo design genres, and a classic tattoo
design that has been popular for generations of tattoo enthusiasts.
Nautical Tattoos with the Jolly Roger, or famed pirate's flag of Skull
and Crossed Bones, Old School Tattoos, New School Tattoos, Bio-Mechanical and every School
of Tattoos in between. In Buddhism and Hinduism, skulls can be seen in their religious art.

Flower Tattoos
Flowers as tattoo designs and symbols can be far more than just pretty
pictures on pretty girls. Flowers are the embodiment of nature and
concise symbols of the cycle of birth, life, procreation, death and
rebirth. Specific flowers have come to represent a myriad of different beliefs in different
cultures. Flowers figure prominently as design motifs in most tattoo design genres. See also,
Chrysanthemum, Daisy, Lily, Lotus, Rose.

Pinup Girl Tattoos

Pretty girls never go out of style especially when it comes to those classic
tattoo pin-up girls. pretty girls and tattoos never go out of style. A pinup girl is
a woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place a picture of
her on a wall. The term was first attested to in English in 1941; however the practice is
documented back at least to the 1890's. Today pin-up girls are just as popular with women body
art enthusiasts as they are with men. See also Betty Page

Crown Tattoo Designs

As a tattoo symbol, the crown doesn't just mean the right of one person to
command another. The crown tattoo symbolizes an individual's sovereignty
over their own life, feelings, thoughts, and actions. The crown symbolizes
self-control, and is a reminder to use power and authority wisely and justly.
Many groups have used the crown to symbolize the power and authority to lead or command.
When it is combined with a cross, one of the meanings of the crown is "victory," and the cross
symbolizes Christianity.

Eagle Tattoos
The eagle tattoo is a typically male design that crosses over a
significant number of tattoo genres, and the influence of the eagle in
American tattooing cannot be underestimated. For freedom lovers
everywhere, the Eagle's ability to fly to the tops of mountains and swoop silently into valleys
makes it the unchallenged symbol of a free spirit. The influence of the Eagle in American
tattooing cannot be over-estimated, especially within the military and patriotic service tattoos
genres