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 4/21/06.

As we enter Easter, one of the most important times of the year for Christians, there has been a tremendous surge in the interest of tattoos with religious symbolism. Easter is a time when people remember and celebrate Christ's Crucifixion and His later Resurrection.

1. Angel/Angels - a virtual dead heat for top spot in this week's Top Ten. Angels, stars and Tribal tattoos were the dominant tattoo design searches this week, far surpassing the rest of the tattoo designs in the Top Ten. In addition to the usual interest in angels and crosses as symbols of religious faith, this week the Top Ten also included interest in designs for rosaries - an integral part of Catholic religious practice - and doves, long a symbol of religious faith.

An angel tattoo design is an overtly religious symbol. Angels are anthropomorphic - meaning in the shape of men - winged forms intended to transmit the word of God to humankind. Angels personify divine will and are the messengers of God. Winged messengers appear in a number of religions as intermediaries between the spiritual and material worlds, but appear most often in Islamic, Jewish but most particularly the Christian faiths. The word angel comes from the Greek 'aggelos', meaning messenger. Angels make frequent appearances in the Christian Bible, not only as messengers of God but also delivering his protection or punishment. Angels act as God's intermediaries, carrying out God's will in the affairs of man.

Symbols closely associated with angels in art include trumpets, harps, swords, sceptres and wands. Angels are usually portrayed as young men with wings and halos, representing their divinity. The representation of angels as Cupid-like young boys or babies, 'putti' did not occur until the period of the Renaissance.

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.

2. Star/Stars/Star of David - Have occupied the second spot for the past month. Same spot as last week! Still number two. 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. See the Nautical Star, a star with its own special meaning.

3. Tribal tattoos - accounts 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. Interest in "Haida" and "Maori" tattoo designs have been very prominent in recent weeks

4. Phoenix - Up a spot to number four. Interestingly, in many Eastern and Asian cultures, the phoenix is a powerful symbol of resurrection. A coincidence this week? We think not.

Symbol of re-birth and re-incarnation - 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.

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.

5. Rosary - The first time that the rosary has entered the Top Ten Tattoo Designs of the week. The Rosary (its name comes from the Latin "rosarium," meaning "crown of roses"), is an important and traditional devotion of the Roman Catholic Church, combining prayer and meditation in sequences of ten "Hail Marys," each sequence being called a decade. A complete Rosary involves the completion of fifteen (now twenty) decades. A common tattoo symbolizing religious faith, particularly among Catholics, and a favorite tattoo design within the "chollo" culture of Hispanics in the United States. The Rosary is also a favoured religious tattoo design among women, and a number of celebrity women have had tattoos of rosaries, including Cher and Alyssa Milano.

6. Wings - Only down one spot! 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.

6. Cross/crosses - Incredible to think that almost all of the top tattoo design searches this week have a powerful spiritual/cultural element to them.

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 manoeuvre 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.

7. Dove - 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. According to the Bible, God then released torrential rains that caused the whole world to flood, and only Noah and his family and the creatures aboard the Ark survived. After many weeks at sea, Noah released first a Raven, then a Dove, to search for land. The Dove returned with an olive branch, and Noah and his family rejoiced in the knowledge that the floodwaters were retreating. The Dove became a powerful symbol as a harbinger of hope. Others believe that the flight of a released dove also symbolizes the release of the soul in death.

7. Mermaid - A popular nautical tattoo symbol, a Mermaid is a legendary creature thought to be half human, almost always a woman, and half fish. Sailors usually reported seeing mermaids after having spent many months at sea, and probably after having had one too many tots of rum! Mermaids were often portrayed sitting on a rock, combing their long flowing tresses while gazing into a mirror. Mermaids were symbols of potent female energy and the underlying threat was that a sailor would be lured to his death by drowning if he pursued a mermaid. Sirens were similar, in that they were beautiful women-like creatures who with their songs and their beauty would lure sailors and their ships to wreck upon the rocks. Unions between mermaids and the sailors or men they fall in love with, almost always end tragically.

8. Grim Reaper - The Grim Reaper is the flip side of the Angel tattoo. This is a potent symbol of death and a graphic reminder of the transitory nature of life. The Grim Reaper and the Skull were often used as symbols in medieval and renaissance art as a stark reminder of the fact that life is finite and hints powerfully at the afterlife that awaits us. Many paintings of saints in particular prominently feature skulls, and art that depicted famine and disease often contain the cloaked and hooded figure of the Grim Reaper, skull peeking out, scythe in hand to better harvest human souls.

The Grim Reaper is often associated as an agent of Satan or the Devil, but this is not always necessarily the case. The Grim Reaper is Death. Whether the Soul goes to Heaven or Hell or ends up in purgatory depends on the kind of life lived by the recently deceased.

9. Aries - reappearing in the Top Ten. 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. A way of telling people something about who and maybe what you are and possibly about what you might believe in, what a concept for a mere tattoo design!

10. Wrist  - We have gone from people looking for "lower back" tattoo designs last week, to "wrist" tattoo designs this week.

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

Alphabetical Listing of Tattoo Symbols & Designs
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