30 Family Tree Tattoo Designs And Meanings

Tattoos are a great idea for you to express yourself the way you couldn’t before. It’s a type of art, practiced for thousands of years and between different cultures and civilizations. There are millions of symbols to tattoo out there and each one of them has a special meaning that you can cherish with the ink on their skin. Still, choosing the right symbol can be challenging and time-tasking, exactly because of such flexibility and creativity.

A family tree tattoo can represent the deep connection between you and your family members, like parents, siblings, or children. It is a visual description of the bond you share with your closest ones and shows how much they mean to you. A family tree has a rich tradition. Among some civilizations, it’s also known as the tree of life, and for many people, family means much more than it.

That’s why, in this first section of the article, we’ll talk about the meanings of family tree tattoos. It’ll help you understand the symbolism behind it, and make a decision whether this type of tattoo is right for you. We’ll also look at the types of family tree tattoos so that you can adjust your style to the particular design.

Family Tree Tattoo Meanings

Family tree tattoo is quite common around people who want to worship and celebrate their lineage. It can often be seen on the skins of people who had to get separated from family in order to study or work abroad. Many people believe that their family and family tree are the most sacred thing that they can have in their life, so they ink their names in the neverending swirling branches that start from one unique root.

The meanings of the family tree tattoo can depend on many things. A person’s thoughts, shape, size, and even style of the tattoo can dictate what a certain person feels about their tattoo. The first and most important meaning of this tattoo is that it’s there to represent the love and affection between family members, particularly parents, children, siblings, and other relatives.

That said, the first meaning of this type of tattoo revolves between the love, passion, and care that one may feel towards their family members, and will to wear them on their back, leg, arm, or some other part of the body.

The second most important meaning of the family tree tattoos is about strength and endurance. One family can go through a lot of hardships and difficulties, to the point one is willing to go through the pain of inking the tattoo to show how strong they are for their family. Throughout history, we learned that many families around the world, especially those famous ones went through various crimes and injustices to reach the stadium where justice is satisfied.

If someone is going through similar difficulties, maybe they want to show the strength to persevere through the family tree tattoo that looks gorgeously, and the bigger it is, the bigger the strength and connection between the family members.

Back to the meaning of the distance, this type of tattoo can also represent the family members, or not even relatives but friends and loved ones who had to separate and go their ways around the world. The true meaning is that despite the fact everyone is scattered around the world, the bond of the family tree makes them stronger. It’s beautiful because two lovers or best friends can make matching family tree tattoos to show the strength and perseverance of the bond.

There are other meanings to the family tree tattoo that is not less important in any way. For example, the family tree tattoo can be made out of affinity and pride towards your heritage. If your family member was someone important historically and you have learned about that, maybe you want to give them the respect and ode they deserve by inking the family tree with their name on it. The options are endless.

It can finally represent the unmaterialistic and divine affinity towards family members who have passed away. People may not always be able to keep the things that belonged to the deceased person they loved and respected. Many people are deeply hurt by it, so they get a tattoo of the family tree to cherish the love and friendship with their family members until the day they die.

There are many ways where you can play with this tattoo to make it more unique. You can use the design from one of the cultures like Celtic, Nordic, or even African tree of life as the family tree tattoo. You can experiment with the complexity and size.

Finally, you can either use plain black ink or the newly popular gold ink. Those who are afraid their tattoo will be too prominent can enjoy the minimalist white ink.

Some tattoo enthusiasts enjoy combining different colors for their tattoos to achieve the watercolor effect. If you want to emphasize special bonds and importance to your family, you could even experiment with the colors.

Types Of Family Tree Tattoo Designs

There are different types of family tree tattoo designs. In this section, we’ll look at some of them.

Small family tree tattoo: Some families like to keep it small, humble, and modest. As such some people prefer small family trees that consist of their parents and siblings. As the family expands in the future, you can leave some space for updating your tattoo.

Location-based family tree tattoo: As you know, there are over 60,000 different tree species. Some trees exist only in some parts of the world. Tattoo enthusiasts trying to be more authentic aim to get a family tree tattoo from their place of birth. For example, some people will get a Sakura tree family tree tattoo if they’re of Japanese or other East Asian descent.

Naked family tree: Withered family tree can mark grief and sadness over the loss of family members or the relationship going cold. It’s tattooed by people who either mourn their loved ones or feel bad because of some of their actions.

Celtic family tree: Celtic culture worships the so-called Tree of Life that marks the new beginnings, courage, power, and height. People who get the family tree tattoo with Celtic accents go for knotty design or try to mimic the authentic family tree tattoo of that origin.

Nordic family tree: The Vikings believed in the Yggdrasil tree of life that connects the 9 realms into the center of the universe. It’s extremely popular among people who practice paganism, as well as a creative and innovative idea for getting a family tree tattoo, especially if you’re a fan of Norse mythology.

Family Tree With DNA Symbols: One tattoo design that has become popular recently includes the twirling DNA symbols across the family tree. We believe that’s the synonym of highlighting how important biology is to the strength of the bond that the family tree has. You can check some of the designs below.

30+ Best Family Tree Tattoo Designs

Now that we tackled each meaning of the family tree tattoos, let’s take a look at the best designs we found. Whether you’re looking for a small, big, colorful, or detailed tattoo, you’ll find it all in the designs below. We hope that these will help you find inspiration and make even better results in the end.

Family Tree Tattoo With Names

Frankly speaking, getting your children, parents, or siblings named between the swirling branches of the family tree is wholesome and lovely.

A lot of people celebrate childbirth by tattooing the names of their children into the tattoo tree. The names included in the tattoo of the family tree can mean a lot to the one who wears it.

Additionally, if it’s a large tattoo, the tattoo artist can only add the names into the tree as the new family members and relatives are coming. There are plenty of ideas to include the name if you’re proud of a family member who was famous throughout history. Usually, the names are written in cursive, as you can see in the tattoos we listed. Still, you can get creative and make the design that you want.

Family Tree Tattoo With Dates

If you want to opt for a smaller type of family tree tattoo, this traditional type seems more convenient to those who’d rather include dates than the names. Perhaps, it feels more private to some people. Otherwise, it just helps save space that the names could usually occupy.

Let’s also take a look at how carefully done these tattoos are. The family tree is taken a little too literally, as it’s not an actual tree, but rather showing a genetic connection between certain family members. We must admit that’s quite creative. However, if it’s not your cup of tea, you can always add the dates instead of names in the designs similar to the one we highlighted above.

This design, however, appears to be more minimalistic, and it won’t require as much space on your body, which is good if you want a smaller tattoo. Also, it’ll likely take less time to complete, whereas making a large family tree tattoo could even expand onto the next sessions too.

Family Tree Tattoo On Arm

One of the most popular areas for getting a family tree tattoo is on arm. Arms are spacious and allow you to make a spacious spiral tattoo that will surround your entire arm. In that case, that’s also a good idea for getting a tattoo for the tattoo sleeve.

It also allows the tattoo artist to put names with more accuracy and detail so that everyone can read them. It’s also easier to make the tree’s age and branches swirling more precisely and with more detail. Arm tattoos are welcome among those who want more details from their tattoos, but it can also work for people who want to get more space to do other tattoos too.

You may either use the full arm or the part you find to be the most appropriate and least painful.

Family Tree Tattoo Sleeve

The tattoo sleeve tattoos are growing in popularity among people. What more, they’re becoming widely accepted even in the corporate ecosystems.

We believe that’s because they’re so gorgeous, especially when done well so that they can tell the story that the wearer initially interpreted to the tattoo artist. These tattoos are detailed, colorful, crisp, and deep.

You can see that in one of the illustrations, children are climbing the tree which seems quite wholesome and possibly represents the children joining the family tree to make important decisions in the future.

Another tattoo sleeve looks at a family tree like another tree in the forest of family trees. We think that’s quite poetic, as all family trees are interconnected in one way or another.

Also Read: Half Sleeve Tattoos For Men: 30+ Best Design Recommendations

Small Family Tree Tattoo

We believe that even smaller tattoos can tell important stories to those who look at them. If you look at the first of the designs, it’s trying to explain that everyone is in charge of planting their family tree, if they want it. It’s branching and the branches are swirling and connecting with other people, who are members of other family trees, that gets expanded with the offspring.

One thing we noticed is that there are not many small tattoos with names or dates on them, as being small means fitting a noticeable name is more difficult. That’s why coloring or detailing different branches to be authentic could represent the branch of each family member, as seen in the third image.

Family Tree Tattoo For Females

Family tree tattoos are for everyone. Still, if you want to play with different designs, maybe you’ll prefer to customize the designs you find on your tattoo and get it more familiar to your personality.

For females, feminine and more delicate tattoos are the most popular. The favorite patterns among females include floral patterns and thin ink over the design. That’s why we included the design that includes more flowers, and each flower represents one family member. It’s similar to the Sakura tree design, except that the whole concept of the family tree revolves around flowers.

Family Tree Tattoo For Males

The tattoo designs between males and females aren’t too different from one to another. Nevertheless, guys prefer having larger tattoos than women and mostly rely on back, chest, or sleeve designs.

The ones we represented are quite detailed and show names, leaves, and branches as they spread to mark the expansion of the family tree.

We can’t help but notice a similar design to the one we showed in the female listing, where instead of the floral pattern we can see the pattern of leaves, where each leaf represents one name of the family member. We commend the creativity!

Family Tree Tattoo On Back

The back is a perfect area for both smaller and larger tattoos. Like you may know, the area is less painful for women than men. However, there are many masculine-like designs that you can pick from.

Back in the popular area because the branches can expand and the leaves can be bigger. That gives more space for a tattoo artist to write the names of people inside the leaves of the tree.

Celtic Family Tree Tattoo

Celtic culture had a lot of symbols that are today used in tattoos. We also know they used body paint to scare their enemies. One of the key Celtic symbols is the Tree of Life which represented the divine force of love, affection, strength, power, life and death cycle, and much more.

If you want to add power to your family tree tattoo, using these symbols, could be quite useful. Most people aim for small Tree of life tattoos but you can experiment on bigger designs too.

Also Read: 40+ Amazing Celtic Tattoo Designs With Meanings

Cherry Blossom Family Tree Tattoo

Cherry blossom is the most popular tree in Eastern Asia. It’s also a quite popular idea for tattoos. People tattoo the blossoming flowers, or the tree itself. It can also serve as a great tattoo idea where each blossom represents the name of one family member.

You can go with names or without names, it’s totally up to you. The good side of the Sakura trees is that they can be made both big and small. With that in mind, you don’t have to worry about the placement of your tattoo, as it can go particularly anywhere.

Watercolor Family Tree Tattoo

If you want to dedicate your family tree to children, this is a great option to give them the recognition they deserve. Many people say children brought more color to their life.

That’s why a good watercolor design around the names or dates of birth of your children around the swirling branches can be a great idea for a tattoo. You can experiment with the smaller tattoo designs. Still, we think that these vibrant colors deserve to be visible.

DNA Family Tree Tattoo

When it comes to the family tree tattoos, we think that some symbols that mark the family bond play an important role. How about genetics? It is said that genes can go as back as over 500 years.

That’s why twirling DNA symbols are some of the best ways to mark the importance of the family bond of the tree. That means everyone is bound by the same or similar DNA code that makes the family as unique as it should be. We think that’s beautiful, how about you?

More FAQs About Family Tree Tattoo

We’re fully aware that taking the colossal step of getting tattoo work done is not comfortable for everyone despite they want it. That’s why we created this FAQ section to tackle any questions that may arise. Read on!

Can A Girl Get The Family Tree Tattoo?

We don’t see a single reason why not. Many designs we featured were inked on women. You can get creative with customizing your tattoo design to look more feminine. However, that’s something you can talk about with your tattoo artist. Suggest them your touches to the design and see if it all fits together.

How Much Would A Family Tree Tattoo Cost?

That depends on several factors. The size, whether it boasts a simple and minimalist design or it’s more complex. Also, it depends on the time the tattoo artist will take to get it done, as well as the popularity of your tattoo studio you’ll visit. We believe that small family tree tattoos can range from $50 to $100. However, if you want to ink a large tattoo on your back or sleeve, it can cost well above $500.

Read More: How Much Do Tattoos Cost: 6 Tips For Getting The Best Price For A Tattoo

Would Getting This Type Of Tattoo Hurt?

Getting a tattoo will hurt regardless of the type you’re getting. The whole process involves the tattoo artist penetrating a fraction of your outer skin layer to insert the ink into the skin and shape it.

That process hurts the most, but if it’s a simple tattoo, it’s likely over. The shading process if you want to add color hurts less than the outlining process, which feels relieving on people who don’t like the process of getting the tattoo inked in their skin.

How Long Does A Tattoo Session For Family Tree Last?

That depends on the kind of tattoo that you’re getting. Getting a tattoo, even a small one can take hours. Let’s agree that family tree tattoos are usually not small. If they are, it is so only in the beginning as such people just expend such tattoos.

That said, getting this type of tattoo can take two to even three hours. Still, leave more time for the shading process if the tattoo is bigger and also includes the names of your beloved family members.

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