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 2/25/06.

1. Cross - All the way up the charts to Number One! For many people, the idea of a tattoo of a cross may well serve to smooth over any negative feedback they are receiving about getting body art. If you're a nice Christian boy or a girl, and you want a tattoo but don't want to be excommunicated by the local Baptists or tossed out the house by Mom and Dad and make Grandma wail, a cross tattoo seems like a positive compromise.

It testifies to personal faith, shows commitment and is a tough symbol to argue against. The cross may well be an artfully cunning maneuver for the Christian who wants to sport ink and cut off the body art opposition before they get to the pass! And for the members of the family who bring up the Bible as opposing tattoos, this will surely spark a lively, fun-filled family discussion about the scriptures - Leviticus And that can never be a bad thing. So turn off the television folks, and have a little talk about the meaning of life. If it was good enough for Monty Python, it's damn sure good enough for you. 

2. Butterfly - Fluttering back to it's more usual position , the butterfly zooms up to number two from ten. 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

3. Rose - The rose has stuck around for a second straight week. An old tattoo design classic that made a Top Ten appearance for the first time this year last week. 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.

4. Star/Stars - Up 5 spots this week. Stars have been at the top of the charts for a while now... A heavenly position to be in. 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.

5. Tribal - Tribal tattoo designs move down from the number one spot last week. Tribal tattoos have lingered at the top of the charts since we began this survey at the beginning of the year. 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.

6. Phoenix - Back to the Top Ten! The legendary mythological bird of fire, is probably the most popular of all the rebirth and resurrection symbols. There are stories and fables that touch on the Phoenix myth in the ancient Middle East, India, China and the Greek and Roman Empires. 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.

7. Dragon - It's old home week on the Tattoo Top Ten. Here is a long time perennial favorite -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. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1959.) -

8. Celtic - Still in the Top Ten. Celtic knot designs while at first and foremost decorative on the surface, are at their roots very culturally significant and deeply symbolic. And so too can be Celtic tattoo designs. Celtic tattoo designs are primarily a genre of complex interwoven lines representing knots, mazes, spirals and other figures. Celtic animal figures are zoomorphic or stylized renderings of animals that were used for carvings, in jewelry and wood, stonework and manuscript illustrations. Many images used by tattoo artists today are derived from the famous Irish Book of Kells. Celtic Tattoo designs are often considered a tribal tattoo sub-genre and very popular with those having Irish-Scots heritage. Also popular across Europe.

9. Wings- Still in the Top Ten. Wings as a tattoo design can often have inspirational or spiritual symbolism. In many myths, wings often have to be earned by their wearer.

Wings associated with angels are spiritual, symbolizing enlightenment, guidance and protection - to be taken under the wing - and inspirational.
Wings, often associated with birds, represent speed, elevation, freedom and aspiration.

Wings associated with butterflies, dragonflies, fairies, mythological winged creatures like dragons, griffins, and the winged-horse Pegasus, have an element of the magical about them. As in alchemy and magic, wings can be transformational, allowing an individual access to a previously unattainable state. The presence of wings allows the combination of different elements, earth and sky, wind and fire.

10. Tiger - The tiger has crept back into the Top ten this week, and is never too far away... Beware of tigers... 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

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

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