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 07/31/07.

The month of July had some very interesting Tattoo Design & Symbol trends. To begin with, it would be hard to miss the influence of the summer sun, the beach and women, as the increasingly popular Swallow topped the tattoo design searches list and there were not one, not two, but three flower designs in the Top Ten, the Lotus, Cherry Blossom and venerable Rose and the Swallow search is undoubtedly linked in with Nautical Tattoos and Anchors. Tribal Tattoos, with an emphasis on Maori and other Polynesian designs were as popular as ever and Angels managed to maintain their popularity in the season of sun, sand and sin...

1. Swallow Tattoos - The top of the charts this month after flirting with the Top Ten for several months. A tattoo design that crosses several tattoo genres, Nautical, Old School and New School Tattoos and one that is popular with both men and women.

The swallow and bluebird tattoos are designs that show the enduring popularity of nautical-themed tattoo art. Traditionally the swallow is a tattoo that a sailor gets after traveling 5000 nautical miles at sea. Often a swallow is the "first sign that land is near". To a sailor the swallow means a "safe return home". Swallows are known to travel far distances out to sea during migration and would rest on boats close to shore which gave early mariners the first sign that land was close by.

2. Tribal / Maori Tattoos - Down just a spot from last month. Tribal tattoo designs, especially Maori and Polynesian designs, continue to be all the rage. 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.

3. Nautical tattoos - are tattoos derived from the very roots and history of modern tattooing. Sailors were among the first to revive the art and practice of tattooing when they visited the islands of Polynesia in the South Pacific and other lands in Southeast Asia. Captain Cook in his famous explorations to Tahiti, Hawaii and New Zealand was the first to record the tattooing of the indigenous people in 1786. The word tattoo in the English language come from the Tahitian word, 'ta-taw', which was thought to mimic the sound made by the traditional Polynesian tattooing implements as they made a tattoo. When the sailors returned to Europe with tattoos that were essentially exotic souvenirs of their travels and adventures, European audiences were fascinated.

4. Lotus Flower - This tattoo design is as symbolically important in the East as the Rose is in the West. In fact, the Lotus and the Rose are the two most powerful of all the flower symbols. The lotus figures prominently in the Creation Myths of Indian and China, and Buddha is said to have risen at the center of a Lotus Blossom. The Water Lily plays a similar role in Egyptian culture as the Lotus does in Asian cultures.

5. Cherry Blossom - In Japan, cherry blossoms (sakura) are a metaphor for life. A brief, brilliant blooming, followed by the inevitable fall.

Cherry blossom is a symbol of female beauty and sexuality. Additionally, the cherry blossom is the Chinese symbol of feminine principal it also symbolized love in a language of herbs.

The cherry blossom is a common symbol in traditional Japanese woodblock art dating back many centuries, and as a consequence is often featured in Japanese tattooing which has drawn artistic inspiration from the woodblock prints for several centuries.

5. Friendship - Up a spot from last month. 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. Crown Tattoos - As a symbol, the crown also symbolizes leadership, and the rightful authority which comes from being elected by a group to serve as their leader.

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. Many Royal crowns in Europe incorporated the Christian Cross into their design, reinforcing the Monarch's claim that their right to the throne was a divine right and that the Monarch was guided by the hand of God.

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.

6. Anchor Tattoos - The Anchor tattoo is a design that has been a fixture of modern western tattooing for the better part of two centuries, and has even more ancient symbolic roots going back several millennia. The anchor is a favorite of individuals who are associated with marine or naval careers, and is closely identified with sailors all over the world. Many young sailors got an anchor tattoo after their first crossing of the Atlantic.
The anchor is often incorporated with other design elements and is a central design theme of many military service tattoos, particularly among sailors, marines and naval aviators. Other common design elements are sailing ships, mermaids and other nautical symbols.

In ancient times the anchor, like the fish, was a symbol with ties to the early Christian church. An anchor tattoo can be thought of as holding one steadfast, like an anchor holding a great sailing ship safe in harbour, against winds and currents that might carry it astray.

7. Angels - These ever-popular symbols of faith have long remained part of the top ten 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.

8. Dove Tattoo Designs - A ongoing popular tattoo design, one with both religious significance and an enduring symbol of peace. This month the popularity of the dove was undoubtedly helped by the stunning Jessica Biel, the lovely actress who graced the cover of GQ magazine this month, clad only in her bikini and her dove tattooed, fetchingly inked just above her panty line...

The Dove is a symbol of the Holy Ghost in some Christian denominations and is often used in representations of the Baptism of Jesus Christ, and the Pentecost. Most will be familiar with the Bible story of the Great Flood, and of God commanding Noah to build an Ark capable of carrying two of every animal and bird.

9. Zodiac - searches for Zodiac symbols encompasses both the West and the East, with people searching for Zodiac symbols that represent both the classic Greek myths and the Chinese Zodiac, and even searches for Zodiac signs rendered in Japanese Kanji.

Complete list of the 12 classic Zodiac signs

See all 12 of the Chinese Zodiac symbols here.

10. Kanji Symbol Tattoos - Covers an entire genre of tattoo designs, but Japanese kanji account for a large percentage of tattoo design searches. Kanji is one of the three common Japanese alphabets (the other two are Katakana and Hiragana). Kanji is a set of ideographic symbols (symbols that represent ideas) developed in China, and is extremely difficult to learn. This is mostly because there are well over a thousand Kanji symbols in everyday use in Japan, plus around another thousand that are used more occasionally! Not only this but the context they are used in can change the pronunciation of each symbol quite considerably.

10. Rose - 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 roses' 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.

For more great tattoo design ideas, see our good friends at TattooJohnny.com

Alphabetical Listing of Tattoo Symbols & Designs
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