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54 Unique Tattoos With Deep Meaning That Might Have You “Cutting Onions”
I come from a family where tattoos have cultural significance. And as far as I can remember, most of my female relatives have gotten inked, even my great-great-great-grandmother. So when I got my first body art, I almost felt magically connected to my ancestors.
The stories behind people’s tattoos can be totally intriguing. Some do it to celebrate important milestones, but others etch emotional moments they never want to forget. When netizens posted these heart-melting tales about their tattoos on X, we just had to share them with you. Grab a box of tissues before you scroll down!
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#1
These Are For My Oldest Daughter, Who I Lost 9 Years Ago
Pink Floyd was her favorite band, and at her funeral we played a montage of her life to “Wish You Were Here.” The sound wave is from a voicemail she left me three months before she passed, saying, “Mom, I love you.”
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#2
After My First Loss I Got This Tattoo
The Intention Was To Add Living Children As Birds On The Branch With Me, However I Now Have 4 More Flying Birds I Need To Add And Still None On The Branch.
Panda Kicki 1 month ago
I feel this so much. I got mine after nearly ten years. The sky would be full, but now the branch have 4.
#3
3 Siblings, I’m The Oldest, The Youngest One Passed Away 5 Years Ago At 26.. She Loved Elephants And Sunflowers 😔
#4
My First Tattoo, In My Trans Son’s Handwriting. When He First Came Out, My Reaction Was Anything But Fully Supportive
I let my fear of what the world would do or say to him consume me. This line from Jonathan Larson is a daily reminder for me to never, ever again let fear lead me. Actions do indeed speak louder than words
#5
The Four Living Children I Get To Go Home To Every Night. The Empty Ones Are Those I’ll Never Get Told, To Know, Or To Hear Laugh Or Cry
Panda Kicki 1 month ago
I have thought of a similar. 4 live, five graves and a dozen early losses, My thought is soap bubbles in different shapes.
#6
Used To Be An Identical Twin And She Passed At 20 Hours After Birth. Half Of It’s Dotted For Her And We Happen To Be A Gemini So The Twin Has Double Meaning
#7
When I Was 14 I Got A Girl Pregnant. When I Was 15 She Lost The Pregnancy
It Was A Little Girl. At The Time I Was Like Sheeeesh Dodged A Bullet. Then It’s Father’s Day 5 Years Later And It Just Hits Me Like A Ton Of Bricks That I Actually Lost Something Important. I Named Her And Got A Tattoo To Honor Her
#8
I Have A Similar One. Mine Says Ohana In Aurebesh (Star Wars). One Star You Can See For My Ivf Daughter. And 5 In UV Ink For Losses. They Are There If You Know How To Look
#9
I Have One Similar To Some
I Have Lost All Of My Immediate Family. 2 Parents, 4 Siblings. I’m On The Flatline Waiting To Fly With Them. The Words Are From A Cold Play Song. “Maybe One Day I Can Fly With You”
#10
Three Broken Eggs (3 Lost Pregnancies) And Me And My Husband As Ravens
#13
I Was Pregnant With Triplets. Haunts Me Daily
#14
I Miscarried. I Drew The Heart, Their Dad Tattooed It. It’s On My Pulse, As Long As My Heart Beats So Will Theirs
#16
Because An Elephant Never Forgets And Ill Never Forget The Storm Before My Beautiful Rainbow Baby
#17
Not The Same But Similar, I Have This Tattoo For My Best Friend Of 15 Years That Lost For Cancer
#18
Magnolia Flowers For The Baby I Lost; In Mexica Lore, They Were Used To Treat Broken Hearts
#19
I Just Loss My Oldest Son On 8/23. I Will Bury Him This Thursday
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago
The semicolon symbol is sometimes worn to remember someone who díed by suícíde.
#20
Every Butterfly Is A Baby I’ll Never Get To Hold
#21
I Got This After My Dad Took His Life. Her Name Is Santa Muerte, She's The Saint Of The Sinner. She Protects Those That Stand Outside The Strict Church Rules
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago
It is absolutely disgusting that some religions view suícíde as a "sin".
#22
Two Spiders On The Web For My Kids Who Are Earthside And One Still Connected Even From Beyond
#23
I Have Two Candles, One Lit, One Snuffed Out
Now it’s so old and blown out looks like a weird tugboat or genie lamp, so I’ve started the design to have the whole leg done with all of my children represented; and the smoke from that first spent flame is the base
#24
I’m So Sorry, What Loved Babies You Have! I Have 2 Angels In Heaven, No Babies On Earth. They’re My Butterflies
#28
The Big Peonies Because They’re My Wife’s Favorite Flowers. The 2 Butterflies Are For The Babies We Lost Last Year
#29
The Water Color Represents The Neurodivergence Of My 2 Earth Side Kiddos. The Bird Flying Away Represents The Baby My Husband And I Never Got To Meet
#30
I Have A Flowering Vine Tattoo, Leaves For Each Of My Sons, Flowers For My Daughters. A Single Bud For The Baby We Didn't Get To Keep. I Plan To Eventually Add Little Ladybugs Or Bumblebees For Grandkids
#31
My First And Only Pregnancy Ended In A Miscarriage. It’s Says “For Always, We Are Rooted In Love”
#32
I Have This In Memory Of The Child I Lost. My Other Now Adult Children Each Has A Matching Tattoo With Me. I Have 4 Different Moons On My Arm And They Each Have A Match Of Their Moon On Them
#33
This Is The Most Recent Picture I Can Find. I Chose A Name For Our Angel Baby Many Years After Our Loss And Added It To My Body With My Living Babies Names. Sage, My Little Ball Of White Light
#35
Every Flower Represents The Birth Month Of Each Embryo That Never Came To Term
5 Ivf Rounds With 6 Embryos. We Ended Up Not Proceeding With The Seventh Embryo But Still Wanted To Honor It With A Budding Flower And The Word “Seven”.
#36
I Have The Large Waves For My Daughter And Son And The Small Wave In The Center For The Baby I Never Got To Meet
#38
The Three Strawberries Are For My Kids And Husband. The Two Flowers For The Ivf Pregnancies We Lost
#39
An Angel Crying For Her Losing Three Feathers For Three Pregnancies Lost.. *yes I Know One Foot Is Off, Will Get It Fixed Eventually
#40
Each Part Of The Wings With Their Initials. Remembering My Mother, Father, Brother And Sister
#42
It’s Very Faded But Me And My Husband Have Had Two Miscarriages Which Are The Two Dots. The Lines Below Them Is A Bonding Line When We Have Our Rainbow Baby A Dot Will Go Below It
#43
A Memorial Tattoo For Our Son We Lost At 20 Weeks. My Husband Has A Matching One In Black And Grey. His Middle Name Is Atlas And His Birth Flowers Are Around The Globe
#45
I Have All Four Of My Babies Due Date Month Flower With A Heart Next To It
If The Heart Is Filled, That Means They Are Living. If It’s An Empty Heart, It Means They’re An Angel Baby. Only One Out Of Four Are Filled In…
#46
Not Quite The Same But We Lost A Baby Earlier This Year. I Want To Go Back And Add 2 More Stars So There’s A Star For Each Week They Were With Me
#48
I Still Need To Add One More Full Heart For My Son And Another Non Full Heart For My 2nd Miscarriage. Also Fix The Original. Money Hasn't Been Right To Justify A Tattoo Yet
#52
Just Got This - 2 Broken Hearts For The Children We Lost Shortly After Birth, Each Of Our Living Children Drew Their Own Hearts, And The 2 Stars Represent Our 2 Babies Lost To Miscarriage
#53
3 Babies Still With Me Today. 1 Mc And 1 Tfmr
#54
I Got My Dandelion Tattoo Three Days After My Divorce. It Represents My Hope For The Future, And My Wishes For My Life. The Three Pappus’ Flying Away Represent My Three Miscarriages
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LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago
I've long wanted to get a pawprint tattoo to honor my gray cat Wintressia, who was my best friend for nearly 20 years. A pet is not a baby, but she was my entire heart. She díed in 2018 and I still miss her terribly. I never did one of those "ink-pad" pawprint things with her, I only have the clay ornament that the vet made after she had already been euthanized, but maybe I could somehow get the shape of her pawpad from that. Sometimes, right as I'm falling asleep, I think I can hear her creaky old-lady meow and I feel her jump up onto the bed.
Cloudy 1 month ago
I have 2 memorial tattoos for the babies we lost, and I have the footprints of the babies I get to kiss goodnight. My tattoos are important to me. And yes, commenter below, I've had therapy. And 16 years helps to numb it. But don't you dare come for those still in the throes of that. It is a pain like no other, and if you haven't experienced it I'm happy for you.
Marie Dale 1 month ago
I have three memorial tattoos for my parents: a four-leaf clover on the back of my neck for my dad, a rose tattoo on the top of my right leg with "Mom" in the stalk, and my mom's handwriting on my left forearm saying "lots of love mom" with three Xs, both of which contain my mom's ashes.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago
I've long wanted to get a pawprint tattoo to honor my gray cat Wintressia, who was my best friend for nearly 20 years. A pet is not a baby, but she was my entire heart. She díed in 2018 and I still miss her terribly. I never did one of those "ink-pad" pawprint things with her, I only have the clay ornament that the vet made after she had already been euthanized, but maybe I could somehow get the shape of her pawpad from that. Sometimes, right as I'm falling asleep, I think I can hear her creaky old-lady meow and I feel her jump up onto the bed.
Cloudy 1 month ago
I have 2 memorial tattoos for the babies we lost, and I have the footprints of the babies I get to kiss goodnight. My tattoos are important to me. And yes, commenter below, I've had therapy. And 16 years helps to numb it. But don't you dare come for those still in the throes of that. It is a pain like no other, and if you haven't experienced it I'm happy for you.
Marie Dale 1 month ago
I have three memorial tattoos for my parents: a four-leaf clover on the back of my neck for my dad, a rose tattoo on the top of my right leg with "Mom" in the stalk, and my mom's handwriting on my left forearm saying "lots of love mom" with three Xs, both of which contain my mom's ashes.
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