On this page we will take a look at some family tattoo ideas and why they might work for you and your loved ones.
The Heritage Enthusiast
You may be shocked to find out what a good tattoo artist can do to modernize your ancient family crest tattoo. If you feel you have a connection to all the most distant roots of your family tree, then an excellent way to pay tribute to those roots is by a flag or crest tattoo. These designs are usually simple rectangular shapes, making them easy to place. A symbol of your heritage is also easy to fit into a larger piece.
The Date
This is a usually small, always very personal tattoo for those who get it. Memorializing a date, whether it be one with a happy or sad memory, can be therapeutic. Your child’s birthday on the inside of your wrist is a beautiful gesture, especially if you find an elegant font. If you have a day that sticks out in your head, one that you know will stay with you forever, then a small inscription on your body only makes sense to show that day’s impact on the outside.
The Motto
On some level, everyone lives by a motto whether they know it or not. Someone who says they don’t have a motto just hasn’t found the right set of words to sum up what guides them through their daily lives. Your family is no different. If your family has something that guides them along, think about getting it tattooed somewhere visible to you. It’s a unique way of representing yourself and your family at the same time while making sure you don’t forget your all-important motto.
The Mark
This is a great one for people who have just had a child, as it shows an incredible amount of solidarity and love. A meaningful tattoo would be to take the birthmark or scar of a loved one (perhaps a newborn baby) and get an identical tattoo of that “imperfection.” If your child has an odd-shaped birthmark on his/her calf, then you could get the same mark in the same spot. The kids will appreciate it when they’re older.
The Family Tree
Some people might say that there is no better family tattoo out there than the family tree tattoo. What’s great about this one is that you can be sure that you’ll be getting unique tattoos if you design the tree yourselves and put your name or initials on it. Family tree tattoos can be designed to be small enough to fit on your wrist or you can even get a heavily detailed tree that can make for an excellent back tattoo.
The Arrows
Arrow tattoos have dozens of different meanings that people still use, and one of those meanings is family. You and your family members can get one arrow apiece in the same location, or you can each get a number of arrows based on the number of people in your family. This is a great family tattoo idea because you can choose your own arrow designs and chances are they will look great on the males and females in your family.
The “Family” Text
Sometimes that word is all you need to show your love for your family members. If you do decide to go with the “family” text tattoo, it’s a good idea to take your time when choosing the font you’ll use. Make sure that everyone likes the look of it beforehand. Of course, you could also decide to get your family text tattoos in the same location but with different fonts.
The Footprints
This is one of the more popular family tattoo ideas these days. You simply get as many footprints as there are family members and you can optionally put everyone’s names next to them. This is yet another family tattoo that can look great both on smaller areas of your body or as larger designs on your thighs or back. You can also get heavily detailed feet or, if you want to go with the most popular option, just get the outlines of the feet.
The Infinity Symbol
If you want a simple tattoo design that means “together forever,” then you and your family members could all get matching infinity symbol tattoos. What’s great about this simple design is that you can easily tweak it a little bit so you all can share a unique tattoo. You could have the infinity symbol hovering over your last name, or you could have everyone’s first initial interlocked in the infinity symbol.
The Anchor
A lot of people think of the anchor tattoo as being for people who love the sea or work on the water, but that is most definitely not the case. Sure an anchor as a family tattoo might work a bit better for families who love the ocean, but its primary meanings are strength and stability, which both work perfectly for people who want to keep their families close. A cool design that people like to use is to have their last names wrapped around the anchor.
The Birds
Most bird species are simply lost in the world without their families, which is why this could be a great family tattoo idea for you and your family. You could decide to get each of your family’s favorite birds all in one tattoo, or you could keep it simple and just get a small flock of birds to represent your family. You could even just get one bird tattoo apiece! Each of these bird tattoo ideas has the exact same meaning, so it’s up to you and your family members to decide how you want your tattoos to look.
The Birthstones
This is a very underrated family tattoo idea. What’s great about birthstone tattoos is that they can be extremely tiny yet also extremely meaningful. You don’t even have to get a detailed stone for each of your family members; instead, you can simply get circles that are filled in with each birthstone’s color. Again, the design is up to you and your family members, but chances are everyone will love having a birthstone tattoo to keep their families close to them at all times.
The Hearts
This is more of a sister or mother-daughter tattoo idea, but it can definitely work as a family tattoo as well. The hearts can be absolutely any design that everyone can agree on, and they can be super-tiny or even part of a larger tattoo design. This might be the best option if you want to get a small tattoo that you can keep hidden during the workday.
The Signatures
Okay, this is an extremely cool family tattoo idea that looks great when you work with the right artist. The key is to make everyone’s signatures fit into a tattoo without making it look odd. Some people actually combine this idea with the family tree tattoo idea. Either way, there is something a little extra special about having your entire family’s signatures in tattoo form.
The Flower
Since flowers work well on both men and women, sometimes the perfect family tattoo is a matching flower design that everyone gets in the same place. You should definitely take your time on this one since there are a ton of great flower tattoo meanings out there and you’ll want to make sure that everyone is happy with the flower that you end up choosing. If you can’t all agree on a single flower, you might want to get different flower tattoos.
The Favorite Animal
This family tattoo idea is not going to work for everyone, but it could be the best one for certain families. If your entire family just happens to have the same favorite animal, then you can all get identical animal tattoos to show your love for each other. If you all have different favorite animals, you could go all out with a huge design that shows all of the animals together in a single tattoo. You can be very creative with this family tattoo idea.