In the interests of research and as an ongoing barometer of popular culture we have decided to provide you with a weekly update of the Top Ten Weekly Tattoo Designs Search.

You can access the archived weekly lists on this page.

The Top 10 Tattoo Designs, based on site searches ending 1/27/06.

1. Tribal - Still at the top of the charts, where tribal tattoos have lingered since we began this survey at the beginning of the year. Tribal tattoo design searches were far and away the most popular this week. A perennial favorite, tribal tattoos are a widely popular tattoo genre with many influences and sub-genres. Bold graphic designs done predominately in blacks & grey, heavily influenced by traditional tattooing in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

2. Star/Stars - Up one spot from number three last week. Celestial objects, such as the Sun, the Moon and the Stars are very popular. Stars are often symbols of guidance, a reference to their use in navigation. The Nautical Star is a star design that has taken off in popularity on it's own, heavily featured in Old School and Nautical Tattooing. The Nautical Star is popular with both men and women and interestingly, several widely diverse sub-culture groups have seized upon the Nautical Star as a symbol of inclusion, from sailors and marines to lesbians.

3. Phoenix - The Phoenix is a traditional design in Japanese and Chinese myth, symbolic of rebirth and metamorphosis, popular with both men and women.

4. Angel/Angels - Angelic tattoo designs tumbled from their perch at the number two on the chart last week. A tattoo design with strong religious connotations that speaks of faith and a design often used in Memorial tattoos.

5. Wings - Wings are reappearing after falling out of the Top Ten two weeks ago. But they've swooped back up in popularity. Wings as a tattoo design can often have inspirational or spiritual symbolism. They also have an element of the magical about them.

6. Fairy/Fairies - Fairies are another design that seem to be flitting about in popularity. They've gone from the top of the chart, to falling off the chart altogether and then they come again at number four only to drop two places to number six. As a tattoo design they can be symbols of youthful innocence and a desire to retain a child-like imagination, wonder and awe. As a tattoo design they are a potent symbol of our youth. (in a tie with Sun)

6. Sun  - The sun is another tattoo design making a Top Ten appearance after a brief vacation. As a tattoo design and symbol, a Sun represents fertility, vitality, passion, courage and eternally renewed youth, light and knowledge. When looking at some of the popular tattoo designs, note the following, in various cultures in the history of man, the Sun was represented by the following; an Eagle, an Eagle with a Serpent, a Winged Serpent (Dragon), a Falcon (Egyptian God Horus), Phoenix, Swan, Lion, Ram, Cock or Bull. The Sun could be further represented by the Heart symbol, A Rosette or Rose, the Lotus, the Sunflower and the Chrysanthemum. An examination of the most popular tattoo designs will show an amazing correlation with the above mentioned symbols.

7. Cross - Cross tattoo searches dropped two spots this week, from number five to number seven. Cross tattoo designs encompass many different styles, from simple crosses, to much more elaborate Celtic crosses and Maltese crosses. Many cultures have their own stylistic interpretations of the symbol of the cross.

8. Flames - Flame tattoo designs are a popular design element in many tattoo genres and they make their first appearance this year in the Top Ten. Flames can be found in Old and New School tattooing and fire and flames are important design motifs in Japanese tattooing.

9. Moon - Down two spots from last week. Interesting to note the celestial influence at work this week, the Moon joining the Sun and the Stars in the Top Ten Tattoo Designs this week. The Moon is said to represent the feeling nature of the individual. It is used to characterize the inner child within us, as well as the past and how we have been as individuals rather than how we are now. (a tie with tiger)

9. Tiger - The Tiger is down two spots, from seven to nine. The Tiger is a potent symbol across Asia in many cultures and has long been a fixture in indigenous tattooing in India, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Japan. Tigers are associated with power, ferocity, passion and sensuality, beauty and speed, cruelty and wrath. The appearance of a tiger in a dream may signal that new power or passion may awaken within you

10. Butterfly - The butterfly continues to stay in the Top Ten, in a bit of a nosedive from last week's position at number six. The butterfly for the past few years has been far and away the most popular specific tattoo design request. Its perennial high ranking shows the increasing influence that women have in tattoo culture, as butterfly designs are an overwhelmingly feminine tattoo choice. We may be reaching a point in popular mainstream culture where for the first time more women than men are getting tattooed.

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

Alphabetical Listing of Tattoo Symbols & Designs
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z