In the interests of research and as an ongoing barometer of popular culture we present you with an update of the Top Ten Tattoo Designs Search.

You can access the archived top 10 lists on this page.

The Top 10 Tattoo Designs and Symbols, based on our site searches ending 02/28/07.

All Top Ten Tattoo Designs & Symbols for the month of February, 2007 are familiar to those who have been tracking the most popular tattoo designs for any length of time. What has been noticeably different of late is the number of searches on the Internet of individuals who are looking not for specific tattoo designs, but for tattoo designs that have an overt symbolic meaning, that is to say people who are looking for tattoo designs that have a specific symbolic meaning. This month there were an extraordinary number of people looking for tattoo designs that symbolized eternity, strength and friendship.

The beauty of tattoos and body art is that tattoo designs can convey a very personal meaning to the bearer of the design. A tattoo design symbolizing strength can be anything from the obvious, Japanese kanji for example, to the sublime, an oak tree or an anchor. A tattoo symbol for friendship can be anything that ties a pair or group of friends together, a shared symbol that carries meaning for all of the individuals involved, from best friends to team mates to members of a military service unit. A tattoo can be a visible symbol of the ties that bind. The only thing that limits the meanings of our tattoos is our imagination.

1. Tribal Tattoos - The number one tattoo design of 2006 has moved up from being in second place in January, 2006 to the top spot in February. There is no doubt that part of the enduring appeal of tribal tattooing is that tribal tattooing is a genre of tattooing that is both attractive in terms of its graphic design and its ability to convey a meaning that can be very personally important to the wearer without being obvious.

Maori tattoo designs, in and of themselves, were so popular that they were a Top Ten Design for both December and for all of 2006. They were also popular enough to be a Top Ten Tattoo Design all by themselves in January and in February.

The fascination with tribal tattoo designs just keeps chugging along, and the beautiful curvilinear Maori designs continues to attract those looking for distinctive body art.

Tribal Tattoos account for nearly a third of all tattoo design search requests, and 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.

Maori tattooing is a distinct school of patterns and graphic designs within Polynesian tattooing. While much of Polynesian tattooing is derived from straight-line geometric patterns (and thought to originate with patterns found on ancient Lapita pottery shards such as have been discovered in Samoa), a design fact which rose in part because the traditional Polynesian tattoo combs are best suited to linear designs, Maori tattooing is essentially curvilinear, and the mainstay of Maori designs are based on the spiral. It should be noted that renowned traditional Hawaiian artist Keone Nunes has demonstrated that it is possible to reproduce complex curved designs using traditional Polynesian tattooing implements.

2. Star / Stars - A perennial monthly favorite tattoo design all year long, and have moved up a spot this month. This tattoo symbol and design was rarely out of the top ten searches for the past twelve months and was the top tattoo design search in December and January.

Searches for Nautical Stars are always very high and reflect the long association body art has with mariners and a life at sea.

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. As a light shining in the darkness, the star is often considered a symbol of truth, of the spirit and of hope. The symbol of the star embodies the concept of the divine spark within each of us. Their nocturnal nature leads stars to represent the struggle against the forces of darkness and the unknown.

3. Cross/Southern Cross - Southern Cross - This was fascinating. Cross and crosses are always very popular tattoo designs and symbols of religious devotion. Never before has the "Southern Cross" appeared in the Top Ten Tattoo Designs and yet it has been a Top Ten Design search for the past two months.

The cross is a profound symbol of faith, hope, belief and sacrifice. Also a favorite design choice when wishing to memorialize a family member, friend or fallen comrade. And who do we think of most often at this time of year than the people we love and have loved and lost. A memorial tattoo is a way to help keep the memory of someone we cherished with us always.

One of the most ancient, widespread, and important symbols, the vertical and horizontal lines of the cross represent Father and Mother Nature respectively. Some of the cross' forms are the ank or tau, swastika or Thor's Hammer, crux ansata or cross with a handle, denoting power over material nature. The four arms of the cross represent the four elements, and its central point their synthesis or laya-point.

The Southern Cross was used by Mariner's in the Southern Hemisphere, and as a tattoo design, it would be similar to the Nautical Star.

If you live in the Southern hemisphere, or if you are vacationing in someplace like Hawaii, you can see a small but beautiful constellation with the shape of a cross. Its name is Crux and it is located very close to the constellation of Centaurus.

The brightest star in Crux is called Acrux. Acrux is really two stars going around (orbitting!) each other, but they are so far away that we see them as one star.

Explorers of the Southern hemisphere used Crux to guide them when sailing. By looking at Crux, they could figure out in which direction to sail without getting lost. http://www.windows.ucar.edu/the_universe/crux.html

4. Eternity - Eternity has appeared before, and as a tattoo symbol can be represented in a number of interesting and fascinating ways. Symbols for eternity can be the infinity sign, Ouborous, or an Asian symbol, from kanji to characters to the Ohm symbol. Hard to separate thoughts of Christmas from thoughts of family, mortality and our place in the Cosmos.

Ouroboros - The Serpent biting its own tail, is first seen as early as 1600 years BC in Egypt. From there it moved to the Phoenicians and then to the Greeks, who called it the Ouroboros, which means devouring its tail.
The serpent biting its tail is found in other cultural mythologies as well, including Norse myth, where the serpent's name is Jörmungandr, and in Hindu, where the dragon circles the tortoise which supports the four elephants that carry the world.

Symbolically, Ouroboros has several meanings. The first, is the symbolism of the serpent devouring and consuming its own tail, literally eating itself. This symbolizes the cyclical Nature of the Universe: creation out of destruction, Life out of Death.

The Ouroboros eats its own tail to sustain its life, in an eternal cycle of renewal. This secondary symbolism is an echo of the concept of infinity, of cycles without end. A Universe without boundaries or limits.

The Infinity Symbol - This tattoo design is best described as a figure eight on its side, it is used to denote that which is limitless and without boundary or end. The symbol as a tattoo would stand for the state or quality of being infinite. The concept of infinity first appeared as a mathematical conceit and was quickly adopted by philosophers.

Historically and culturally, the infinity symbol is similar to mythological creatures such as Ouroboros, the snake that consumes its tail and is a creature without end. Circles and loops are reminiscent of the idea of life being conceived as an eternal, often times seasonal cycle, that endlessly repeats itself. In many eastern religions and belief systems the idea of endless reincarnation and planes of existence is similar.

5. Strength symbol - see kanji or Chinese Characters, but perhaps a tattoo design that represents a symbol of strength might be a bear, or something that reminds you of your father or your mother or of your best friend. It could be the Koi fish that swims up the waterfall to become a dragon, a knight on a quest, or the first flower bud of spring.

6. Angel/Angels - The third most popular tattoo design in 2006, heavenly hosts are a popular tattoo design all year round and are a powerful symbol of religious faith. Angels are often used to evoke protection as potent symbols of God's presence and as an expression of one's faith.
As a tattoo design, 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.

7. Friendship symbol - A tattoo symbol for friendship can be anything that ties a pair or group of friends together, a shared symbol that carries meaning for all of the individuals involved, from best friends to team mates to members of a military service unit. A tattoo can be a visible symbol of the ties that bind. The only thing that limits the meanings of our tattoos is our imagination.

Team logos, military service badges, the tattoo designs that can symbolize friendship are limitless.

7. Butterfly Tattoo Designs - The ongoing popularity of the butterfly tattoo design shows the tremendous influence that women now have in tattoo culture as the design is overwhelmingly a feminine choice. The butterfly tattoo design is a strong symbol of rejuvenation and regeneration, with overt feminine qualities. A Top Ten Tattoo Design of nearly every month in 2006. And in the cold, dark months of winter, what more powerful symbol of Spring and new life than the butterfly?

The butterfly, because of its short life, its physical beauty, and its fluttering from flower to flower seeking nectar, has among many ancient peoples been regarded as an emblem of the impermanent, unstable characteristics of the lower human soul. The caterpillar lives its period, making for itself a chrysalis, which after a stage of dormancy is broken by the emerging butterfly. This suggests the idea of the less becoming the greater, of an earthy entity becoming aerial. These thoughts led the ancient Greeks to use the butterfly as a symbol of the human soul (psyche); and in their mythology Psyche was in consequence represented in art with butterfly wings.

8. Crown Tattoos - The crown has long been used as a symbol of royal power and authority. Like the sceptre, the crown is a visible badge of office, granting the wearer, it's possessor, the absolute right to rule. That authority to rule was often held to be divinely inspired. In the Christian tradition the garland of thorns placed on Christ's head during the ordeal of his crucifixion is know as the "Crown of Thorns". The centerpiece of any coronation of a new monarch is always the moment when the new King, Queen, or Emperor has the state crown placed upon their head. At that moment the power to rule is transferred to the new monarch.

As a tattoo symbol, the crown doesn't just mean the right of one person to command another. It symbolizes and 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.

9. Dragon - A Top Ten Tattoo Design of 2006 - a dragon is a classic tattoo design that shows the influence of Japanese and Chinese culture in western tattooing. This design is popular with both men and women. A dragon is wondrous monster, often thought of as a giant winged, fire breathing lizard or snake. The word is derived from the French and Latin form of the Greek, drakwu, connected with derkomai "see," and interpreted as "sharp-sighted." The equivalent English word "drake" or "fire-drake" is derived from Anglo-Saxon draca

9. Phoenix - Another Top Ten Tattoo Design of 2006 - the legendary mythological bird of fire, is probably the most popular of all the rebirth and resurrection symbols. And as a Top Ten Tattoo Design in the first month of a New Year, seems very appropriate.

There are stories and fables that touch on the Phoenix myth in the ancient Middle East, India, China and the Greek and Roman Empires.

In the myth the Phoenix is an extraordinarily long-lived bird of great beauty and luxuriant plumage (often described as golden or red-hued), living five hundred years or more, a fact attributed by one early Jewish legend that the Phoenix refused to eat the forbidden fruit of Paradise. At the end of it's life the Phoenix would build a nest of aromatic twigs, set fire to itself, and be consumed in the funeral pyre of it's own making. After three days the Phoenix would arise from the ashes, reborn.

The Phoenix was originally a symbol of the cycle of the rising and setting of the sun but over time evolved to become a symbol of human resurrection. On Roman coins the phoenix represented an undying Empire. In the early Christian Church the phoenix was a symbol of Christ's resurrection and everlasting life. The phoenix represented the victory of life over death.

As a tattoo symbol, the Phoenix can be found in many tattoo genres, but of the Far East in particular. It is a symbol of resurrection, rebirth and regeneration. It also represents purification and transformation through fire and adversity.

10. Wolf tattoos - The wolf is a powerful mythological and spiritual symbol in many cultures around the world, due to it's widespread distribution across North America, Europe and Asia. Modern dogs are descendants of Asian wolves and the relationships between man and wolves goes back at least forty thousand years.

Wolves were predatory competitors with early man and wolves symbolized ferocity, cunning, stealth, cruelty and even evil - but because of their close-knit pack behaviour wolves also represented loyalty, courage, fidelity and victory. The tendency of wolves to hunt at dusk and dawn and to communicate by howling at night in many cases caused wolves to be associated with the spirit or shadow world, shape-shifters and malevolent or evil spirits. They symbolized fear of the night, darkness, and even demonic possession. At the same tine men could not help but admire the skill and success of the wolf pack.

For great tattoo design ideas, check out our good friends at TattooJohnny.com

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