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Everyone gets a tattoo for a different reason. They don’t necessarily have to have a deep meaning behind them, but some do. Those tattoos carry not only the looks, but also a story within them. What do your tattoos mean? Share your stories and the most interesting ones will be published in a new list on the main page!
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#1
My First Tattoo. The Big Brick Is To Represent My Big Brother Who Died One Day Shy Of His 40th Birthday This Year, In His Favorite Color, And The Little One (Hugging The Larger One) Represents Me, In My Favorite Color. We Always Built Lego Together
#2
I Got This 3 Days After My 18th Birthday, It's My Grandfather Who Died When I Was 7 Holding Up The World In His WWII Uniform
#3
My First Tattoo Had To Be A Sentimental One, My Moms Favorite Saying To Me In Her Hand Writing!
#4
My Fat Unicorn Because I Am Fat, Beautiful And Fabulously Unique... And Probably Imaginary
Final score:
86points
#5
My Tattoo Is A Reminder That Everything Is Going To Be Ok
I have a “forget-me-not” flower tattooed above my self-harm scarring (that is barely visible now) on my arm. I got it when I overcame my depression. Those flowers used to grow around my great-grandma’s house where I spent most of my childhood - it’s a reminder of happiness and good times. It’s there so I don’t forget that life is not as bad as it sometimes seems to be
Final score:
77points
#7
I Have Grapheme Synesthesia. These Are My Number / Color Combos.
Final score:
71points
#8
Hart, The Spirit Of Forest To Guide Me, Eye Of Horus To Protect Me And Make Me Always Remeber Finite And Death, Leaf Of Ash To Remember World Tree Yggdrasil And That All Is Conected
Final score:
63points
#9
Dsotm Tattoo Which I Got After My Father, Pink Floyd's Greatest Fan, Passed Away. We Didn't Get Along Well For Years When I Was A Teenager, But We Always Shared The Music. I Cared For Him For 10 Years Prior To His Death, And I'm Grateful For The Time Spent Together. Music Is The Greatest Inheritance I Got From Him.
Final score:
60points
#10
Olga, My Great Grandmother, Raised Me. She Passed When I Was 19. She Was First Generation American, But Proud Of Her Russian Roots. Originally, I Only Had Her Name, But Felt She Deserved More. She Loved To Be In The Yard Taking Care Of The Plants, So I Added The Lilacs Because They Were Her Favorite To Tend To In The Yard.
Final score:
56points
#11
I Was Suffering From Depression When I Applied For A Semester Abroad In The Arctic Circle, Successfully Improved My Mental Health And Had The Greatest Experience Of My Life. The Bowhead Whale Reminds Me That There Are Still Parts Of The World, To Be Explored And The Tattoo Reminds Me That I Am Capable Of Anything
Final score:
52points
#12
Its The Hakuna Matata Symbol Created Out Fo Old Film Strip ... Its Symbolises The Moment I Changed My Carrier From Engineer To Artist . (Just Listen To The Hakuna Matata Song From Lion King)
Final score:
51points
#13
At My Aunt’s Funeral My Mom Said She Lived With Purpose And Possibility
Final score:
46points
#14
Had My First Tattoo Two Weeks Before My Sis Moved To Peru, Two Years Later Moved There Myself.
Final score:
46points
#15
Fiber Obsessed...i Love Fiber So Much I Tatted It On My Body
Final score:
41points
#16
Charlie Chaplin Portrait With The Quote : "A Day Without Laughter Is A Day Wasted " Its A Reminder For Me To Always Smile And Give Positive Energy To People Around Me :) .
Final score:
40points
#17
Got This In Memory Of Chris Cornell Right After He Died. He And His Band (Soundgarden) Meant A Lot To Me So I Got Lyrics From The Song "Outshined" Amongst Flowers, My Own "Sound Garden". It Says "Yeah, It Gives Me The Butterflies" Because That's What His Music Does For Me.
Final score:
35points
#18
My Husband's Initials (A On Top Of An F). He Stood By Me And Waited For Me While I Followed My Dreams And Went And Worked In Shanghai, China For Almost 2 Years.
Final score:
34points
#19
(Tattoo #1) I Got This Tattoo, By The Grace Of God On My 10th Birthday Of Being Cleaned Of Drugs.
Final score:
30points
#21
Spoon With Triple Meaning. It Represents My Profession (Chef), My Passion For Indian Cooking (It's Actual The Logo From An Indian Restaurant) And The Fact That I'm A 'Spoonie' (Spoon Theory - For Chronically Ill, With Limited Strength Each Day). I Love It - And It's An Daily Reminder To Take It Easy....an My Mentally 'Ekstra Spoon' To Use For Somthing Fun.
Final score:
26points
#22
Bobbi's Self Portrait - Part Dragon, Part Angel, Part Beautiful Peacock
Final score:
23points
#23
My Fandom Tattoo = Lamppost - Narnia Ouroborus - X Files (Scully Had A Tattoo Like This); Rose N Thorns - The Arcana Chronicles; Antarian Royal Seal - Roswell; Angel Power Rune - The Mortal Instruments; Light Saber - Star Wars; Arrow - The Walking Dead; Wedjat - Egyptian Mythology; R - Dark Matter (Scifi Show Which Has A Space Ship Called Raza); M - The Originals (The Leads Have The Surname Mikaelson); And The Whole Together Forms: The Deathly Hallows - Harry Potter.
Final score:
22points
#24
My New Tattoo. In Memory Of My Twin Sister Who Has Passed.
Final score:
20points
#25
Dj, A Memorial Tattoo Of My Boy Dj, I Had Him From The Day He Was Born Till The Day He Died, He Was 14. Now He Is My Lucky Cat :)
Final score:
19points
#26
My Beloved Friend Bono And Tricolor Violas Which Represent My Grandfather. Both With Me Forever
Final score:
19points
#27
A Daily Reminder That Fibromyalgia Will Not Beat Me
Final score:
19points
#28
I Had Been Married 20 Years When I Got This Tattoo. It Is From A Poem By William Blake And Reads ‘And Throughout All Eternity I Forgive You, You Forgive Me". Marriage Is Wonderful But Also A Lot Of Work And I Think This Sums It Up. We Are About To Celebrate Our 30th And I Couldn't Be Happier.
Final score:
17points
#29
My Only Child. She Died On Her 23rd Birthday. She Had A Fluer Di Lis Tattoo And After She Died, Many Of Her Family And Friends Got Them As Well. She Fills My Heart So Much.
Final score:
17points
#30
My Dad Was A Musician. Always Had His Guitar With Him. When He Dies It Felt Like The Music Died
Final score:
16points
#31
I Was Suffering From Depression When I Applied For A Semester Abroad In The Arctic Circle, Successfully Improved My Mental Health And Had The Greatest Experience Of My Life. The Bowhead Whale Reminds Me That There Are Still Parts Of The World, To Be Explored And The Tattoo Reminds Me That I Am Capable Of Anything
Final score:
15points
#32
I've Made My First Tattoo In Sweden, Where I Moved Alone To Study. Windrose Represents My Passion For Discovering The World, And It's Chained To A Little Anchor - A Symbol Of Having Home That I Can Always Come Back To (My Mum).
Final score:
15points
#33
Got This Heart In A Hand Tatoo, To Remind Myself Of The Past. I Have Had My Heart Broken So Many Times, But This Tatoo Will Always Remind Me That, I Always Had And I Always Will Have The Strength To Go Through Everything. Also It's A Sign Of A Promise To My Dad. I Promised Him To Always Follow My Heart, When I Feel Lost Or Uncertain.
Final score:
15points
#34
Represents The Impact Moving To A Beach Had On My Family After Growing Up In A Toxic City
Final score:
15points
#36
I Wanted To Have Something That Represented My Loss At The Time.
Final score:
14points
#37
I Was Born With A Brain Tumor That Was Like A Smack Of God. Been Tumor Free Since 2001. This Is The Godsmack Simble (Band). Also One Of My Favorite Bands And Reminds Me Of All That I Have Gone Through.
Final score:
14points
#39
Labyrinth Tattoo. I Have Always Loved Labyrinth And David Bowie Has Been My Role Model Since I Was A Kid.
Final score:
13points
#40
I Made This Eagle For My Father Because Our Last Name Is 'Aguiar', And That's Mean Eagle's Nest
Final score:
13points
#41
My Mad Scientist Tattoo From Back When I Used To Think Of Me As Both Mad And Scientist :)
Final score:
12points
#43
"I Destroy The Tools Of My Captivity" - To Remind Me That I Am The Only One Able To Free Myself
Final score:
12points
#44
After Our 15 Yr Anniversary, My Husband And I Got Yin Yang Tattoos.
Final score:
12points
#45
Latitude/longitude Tattoo Representing The House I Lived In During Uni. So Many Good Memories
Final score:
11points
#46
...this Tattoo Means Perseverance And Also, I Was Born Under The Sign Of Pisces. My Nickname Also Sounds Like This Fish.
Final score:
11points
#47
On The Right Is My Family Name Over The Nautical Star And Compass, And On The Left Is The Capricorn Goat Head Over The Nautical Star Surrounded By The Same Constellation. I Had My Family Name Inked Mainly Because Of My Grandpa, And That I Know, I Will Always Have A Home To Come Back To. While The Capricorn One, I Felt That It Truly Reflects My Character And How I Lead My Life.
Final score:
11points
#48
Chakra Colors (I Made It With My Left Hand, I’m Right Handed)
Final score:
11points
#49
Frist Tattoo With 18. Its A Reminder Of My Past That Its Over. (Its On One Of My Battle Scars)
Final score:
10points
#50
My Mom And I Wanted To Get Matching Anchor Tattoos For Years, But We Didn't Had The Courage To Actually Do It. My Mom Is A Church Going German Teacher Who's Also In The Local Council. That's Why I Surprised Her One Day, Put Her In The Car (She Had No Idea Where We Were Going) And We Got These Tattoos Together. She Got Her First Tatoo At The Age Of 50 And Is Now Seriously Thinking About The Next One. I Love Her!
Final score:
10points
#51
After Traveling Back And Forth To Rio For The Past 20years And Flying Into Galeoão Airport And Crying Every Time The Plane Dipped Around Corcovado I’d Cry A Little. Just Now Divorced From My Carioca Ex Husband, I Doubt With Me Always.
Final score:
9points
#52
#maktub From My Fave Novel,the Alchemist, Means 'It Is Written' ... This Is Also A Reminder For Me That If Its Not Meant To Be , It Will Never Be!
Final score:
9points
#54
My Daughter Her Nice Heart Shaped Drawing, That's The Most Amazing Tattoo That I Have. With A Emotional Story.
Final score:
9points
#55
Okay, So This One Has A Lot Of Small Details Which Basically Represent The Majority Of The Things I Consider Important About Myself. The Scribble Is Both A Symbol Of My Academic Affiliation, And The Ekg, Reminding Me To Be Grateful To Be Alive. The Two Lines, The Triangle, And The Circle Represent A View From My Homeland: Pines, Mountains, And The Full Moon. On The Other End, There's The Female Symbol, Which, Without The Circle, Is Also A Cross, Since I'm A Christian. It's An Arrow, Since I'm A Sagittarius. The Rainbow Just Speaks For Itself. Overall, It Means To Me To Stay Positive And Always Go Forward In Life.
Final score:
9points
#56
For Our 5 Year Wedding Anniversary I Got Blaze The Cat Tattoos On Me Holding A Ring, My Husband Got Sonic Holding A Ring And When You Put Them Together It Looks Like That Are Holding The Same Ring
Final score:
8points
#57
A Fork, A Spoon And A Knife, Just Because I Love Food, Eating Food, Making Food And So...:)
Final score:
8points
#58
My Friend Did This Henna Piece For Me For A Horror Convention/tattoo Festival, I Love It So Much I Found A Tattoo Artist To Tattoo It On My Permanently
Final score:
7points
#59
Represents My Firstborn. Was Going To Have A Daddy Dragon Done Too, But This Hurt So Much That I Reconsidered... :-D
Final score:
7points
#60
A Tattoo Of A Monkey To Remind Myself Not To Take Life To Serious. Monkey Business For Life!
Final score:
7points
#61
I Love Books And Love Celestial Things
Final score:
7points
#62
My 1st (Red Pants) Matching With My Sister. Totoro Resembles Sisterhood With Our Shared Love Of Hayao Miyazaki Movies. I'm In Canada For School And She's In America With Our Parents.
Final score:
7points
#63
I Chose Libertas, Which Is Latin For Freedom. And After All, Freedom Is The Most Important Thing We Have!
Final score:
7points
#65
A Reminder For Every Morning That I Wake Up, No Matter What Happens, I'll Always Find A Way.
Final score:
5points
#66
My Daughter Drew This When She Was 6 Y O. She's 13 Now
Final score:
5points
#69
My Buddy Drew This Up For Me, In Memory Of A Happy Time, And As A Daily Reminder To Not Take Life Too Seriously.
Final score:
4points
#70
A Quote From One Of My Favorite Books, By My Favorite Author, Neil Gaiman. Pretty Self Explanatory If You Think About It...
Final score:
4points
#71
First Tattoo - Blend Of Ethnic Patterns, How We Can Co Exist Harmoniously If We Just Try
Final score:
4points
#72
Lost My Dad 3 Years Ago. This Is How I Remember My Childhood.mom Kissed Him 1st Time She Saw It
Final score:
4points
#73
My Twin And I Had The Same Idea On The Same Day. We Needed To Honor Our Grandma, Who Was Going Through Very Serious Medical Problems, With A Tattoo. This Is How She Signed All Her Cards And Letters To Us All Our Lives.
Final score:
4points
#74
Vivre (To Live) And The Semi-Colon (To Survive) In Place Of The Letter I. As A Reminder Of Both, For Those Days When I Feel Like The World Is Crashing In On Me.
Final score:
3points
#75
Four Elements .. Water-Waves, Earth-Mountains, Fire-Sun, Air-Clouds.
Final score:
2points
#76
Wanderlust Tattoo To Keep Me Motivated To Travel & Explore The Fullest. Also, The Anchor Is To Remind Me That I Will Always Have A Place To Be Loved, Mum & Dad.
Final score:
2points
#77
My Handsome Man, Revan. I Lost Him Too Soon. He Was My Greatest Companion.
Final score:
2points
#78
After A 7-Years Long Relationship And 3 Years Of Engagement I Was Thrown Out. I Had To Start My Whole Life Again. It Reminds Me That Nothing Is Infinite But There Is Always An And.
Final score:
2points
#79
My Grandmother Passed Away In July 2012. This Is Her Signature On My Last Birthday Card From Her April 2012 For My 30th Birthday
Final score:
2points
#80
It Was Completely Random With My Cousin. We Grew Up As Sisters An Wanted Something To Share.
Final score:
1point
#81
River Time - I'm A Whitewater Rafting Guide And Use A Pocket Watch Instead Of A Wrist Watch. This Is On My Left Wrist. Whenever Customers Ask Me What Time It Is On A Multi-Day Trip, I Look At My Wrist And Say "River Time".
Final score:
1point
#82
Der Vergessliche Engel By Paul Klee. In His Late Years Paul Klee Got Sick Of Sklerodermie Wich Made It Nearly Impossible To Move. But He Loved His Art So Much He Just Carried On. And Thats Exactly What I Am Going To Do. Thats Why This Ist My Guardians Angel. He Watch My Back
Final score:
1point
#84
Tribute To The Man Who's Lyrics And Songs Are The Soundtrack To My Life
Final score:
1point
#85
My First Tattoo. I'm A Happy Girl Who Had An Angry Boyfriend And I Thought I Could Give Him Some Of My Happiness And Make It All Better. Instead, It Only Broke Us Both Down. I Learned That Happiness Has To Be Shared The Way That The Sun Shares Its Light. The Sun Doesn't Lose Anything By Improving The World Around It, And It Doesn't Force Itself Upon Those Who Are Living In The Shade.
Final score:
1point
#86
People Always Ask Me "Why "Sad"?" Well, I've Been Sad, Miserable And Stressed For Many Years And When I Got Better, I Decided To Embrace It, Because It Is Human To Feel Sad. It Also Happens To Be The Initials Of My Father, Mother And Sister's Names.
Final score:
1point
#87
My Rune Symbols... Read Upside-Down You Have... Mannaz-Meaning The Self Above Is Raido- Meaning Journey Then Above That Is Laguz- Meaning Flow. I Choose Them Because I Collect Fairy-Tales And Folklore, I Wanted To Get Something That Showed My Passion For My Hobby But In A Different Language, I Tried Latin And Greek But After Spending Quite A Few Years In Germany, This Meant More, As It Is Scandinavian And German.
Final score:
1point
#88
My First Tattoo That I Got Last Year At The Age Of 24.
Final score:
1point
#89
My Wife Has Cystic Fibrosis And It’s Sometimes Referred To As 65 Roses. This Is Still A Work In Progress But It’s A Great Conversation Starter
Final score:
1point
#90
In 2011 I Lost Both My Best Friends In A Massacre In Norway. Took This As A Tribute. My Birds.
Final score:
1point
#93
My (Rubbish) Fairy. Always There To Remind Me To Reach For The Stars
Final score:
0points
#96
This Is To Remind Me To Never Give Up No Matter How Bad My Depression Gets Or How Stressed I Get With My Life. To Remember That My Wings Will Always Have My Back And They Will Keep Forcing Me To Fly Forward. Excuse The Blurriness, It's Still Healing.
Final score:
0points
#97
To Remind Me Of Reaching My Weightloss Goal. Date Started And Date Finished With Each * = 1st Loss (9st In All). Had It Done On My Ribs On Side.
Final score:
0points
#98
My Dad Was More Upset About Not Being Able To Sail His Boat Anymore Then He Was About Being Ill
Final score:
0points
#99
Got This Memory Of My Grandfather Who Earned His Purple Heart As A Marine While Serving, A Veteran Did The Tattoo For Me.
Final score:
0points
#100
Mama Tink, Close To My Heart Always And Forever......this Tattoo Is For My Mama Eho Very Suddenly Passed Away Last Year. She Was A Huge Disney Fan And Was Known As Tinkerbell/mama Tink, In Our Family Due To Her Pixie Ears And Sparkling Personality. My Mama Was Always Magical To Be Around And I Miss Her More With Each Day That Passes, But Tink Is Always There Laughing Away The Sadness And Bringing A Smile To My Heart. The Script Says "You Don't Know What You've Got Until Its Gone" - Something She Always Said When I Was In A Pickle And She Came To My Rescue.
Final score:
0points
#101
Dauntless Flames (Yes From The Divergent Books And Movies!) To Help Me With My Anxiety Disorder With My Favourite Quote: "Becoming Fearless Isn't The Point. That's Impossible. It's Learning How To Control Your Fear, And How To Be Free From It."
Final score:
0points
#102
Tattoo Depicts That I Want Infinite Freedom...i Get This When Came Out Of Depression... Its Memorable For Me..
Final score:
0points
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What do you think ?
just a thought! 6 years ago
Some have really deep meanings and the art is done with skill and patience... And some not. But you do you! I'm no one to judge anyone's choices...
thewildwoollychild 6 years ago
Whatever the reason behind getting the tattoo, I'd be embarrassed about showing it off if the work is poorly done. Some of these people got ripped off...
just a thought! 6 years ago
Some have really deep meanings and the art is done with skill and patience... And some not. But you do you! I'm no one to judge anyone's choices...
thewildwoollychild 6 years ago
Whatever the reason behind getting the tattoo, I'd be embarrassed about showing it off if the work is poorly done. Some of these people got ripped off...
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