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 06/30/07.

June ends and July beckons. Summer beaches, bikinis, tan lines - and what's that? - did you just get a tattoo? As Summer Vacation is about to start for what is bound to be a huge number of first-time tattoo enthusiasts - those in the 18 - 24 age demographic - it is interesting to see what tattoo designs and symbols they are searching for on the Internet. June's Top Ten Tattoo Designs & Symbols are all familiar to those who have been tracking the popularity of tattoo designs for any length of time.

What has been very interesting lately, however, is the recent surge in interest in tattoo designs that fall just out of the Top Ten. In the past two weeks there has been a tremendous interest in tattoo designs that are influenced by either thoughts of going to the beach or by Johnny Depp and the latest in the string of Pirates' movies. "Nautical tattoos" and the "swallow tattoo" have both been flirting with the top of the charts and almost broke into the Top Ten. As well, there has been a strong revival of interest in "Old School" tattoo designs and their meanings. And of course, the "New School" rendering of those Old School Designs.

1. Tribal / Maori Tattoos - as one of my best friends always says when I ask him about life, "Same as it ever was, same as it ever was." I am sure it is a line from a song somewhere (Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime). He has a habit of using song lyrics from classic tunes to sum up moments in life. Well, so too can we sum up the top of the tattoo charts. Tribal tattoo designs, especially Maori and Polynesian designs, are all the rage.

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 - Still in second place from last month and as popular as ever. Nautical Stars in particular generate a tremendous amount of searches, fitting in as they do so neatly with Old School, New School and Nautical tattoo design genres.

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. Angels - These ever-popular symbols of faith have moved back up to the top of the tattoo design searches.

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.

4. Strength symbol - In the same spot for the second month in a row. The popularity of searching for "tattoos designs meaning..." has never been greater. Numbers four through six in the Top Ten Tattoo Designs & Symbols are all interested in the meanings and symbolism to be found in specific tattoo designs. And while people are very much interested in great tattoo designs, most people want their tattoos to stand for something as important to them as "Strength, Family and Friendship".

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.

5. Family - A tattoo symbol for family or 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, whether they be blood or friendship. The only thing that limits the meanings of our tattoos is our imagination. For members of a family, crests and heraldic symbols are very popular.

6. Friendship - A tattoo symbol for family or 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, whether they be blood or friendship. The only thing that limits the meanings of our tattoos is our imagination. For members of a family, crests and heraldic symbols are very popular.

7. Butterfly Tattoo Designs - As popular as ever. A perennial top ten tattoo design. Its ranking shows the influence that women have in tattoo culture, as butterfly designs are an overwhelmingly feminine tattoo choice.

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. Dragon - A lot of interest in Old School dragons tattoo designs, in addition to the ever-popular Chinese and Japanese dragons. Al part of the Nautical Tattoos tradition.

By the looks of them, dragons were around long before man set his footprint in the sands of time. These giant, winged, fire-breathing lizards are reminiscent of the prehistoric creatures - dinosaurs, no less - that roamed the earth millions of years ago, but the fact is, the dragon grew out of the human imagination. Possibly played in no small part by the discovery in China and other places Asia and elsewhere of the fossil remains of dinosaurs and other extinct reptiles of gargantuan proportions. The dragon came to represent both the beneficent and malevolent elements, depending on which part of the world it breathed its fiery breath.

9. Cross Tattoos - Down a bit this month but a perennial favorite tattoo and one that can be rendered in a multitude of tattoo styles and genres.

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.

10. Sun - As the long days of summer sun stretch out before us, can you think of a better tattoo?  The Sun as a tattoo design is a reflection of the Sun's profound symbolic nature in most cultures around the world. The sun was worshipped as a personified, life-giving deity in Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and almost every other major civilizations of history. The Sun or Sun figure was almost always the predominant figure within the pantheon of those spiritual belief systems.

Nearly every culture has a creation myth that explains how the sun came into being, and often times an accompanying apocalypse myth that details the end of the world, as we know it, when the sun is destroyed or devoured in some manner. Many cultures have myths that explain the rising and the setting of the sun, and this repeating cycle of light and dark has come to symbolize life and death, regeneration and reincarnation.

The most common symbol of the sun is a circle with the sun's rays emanating from the perimeter. A dot or point in the center of a circle symbolizes the blending of male and female forces. The sun is usually seen as a masculine symbol and the moon and the earth as feminine symbols, hence you will often the Sun symbolically paired with the Moon or the Earth. For many millennia the Sun was believed to be at the center of the Universe, around which all other heavenly bodies radiated. The Sun was a symbol of both royal and divine powers, adopted by both secular and religious authorities.

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

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