The cross has been used by almost every culture in a variety of shapes and sizes with diverse symbolic meanings, and that is why the cross has always remained one of the most popular and best tattoo designs today. For example, the cross can symbolise health, life, death, immortality, fertility, the sun and stars, and the alliance of Heaven and earth.

The Anchor cross, a popular tattoo design for those who sail the seven seas, earned its name thanks to the martyrdom in the middle ages of a Roman bishop, who got up the nose of the Roman Emperor Trajan. Now this Emperor took such a disliking to the bishop he tied him to an anchor and he was thrown into the deep, blue, sea. For his sacrifice, the bishop was rewarded with sainthood (St. Clement) is now remembered as a man who died for what he believed.  

Other popular cross tattoo designs are those which represent countries or cultures. For example, Greek, Coptic ankh, Canterbury, Serbian, Presbyterian, Maltese, Nordic and many more, the cross has also been represented on many flags, such as, the Flag of Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Australia, and many others.

The cross is one of the oldest symbols known to mankind. Celtic coins found dated back long before Christianity and cave drawings have also revealed crosses’ dating back to the Stone Age, and you see examples of this design in Celtic cross tattoo designs, also another popular cross tattoo design.

It is not known when or why the first cross was drawn, perhaps it was as innocent as just making a mark, or x marks the spot, but after the circle the cross is believed to be one of the first drawn by children across all cultures, this may be explained by the simplicity of the strokes of course, but it’s still an interesting point to consider.

Today, still one of the most popular cross tattoo designs is the Ancient Egyptian ankh (“meaning handled cross”), or the Key of the Nile, this cross was around before the cross as we know it and was seen as a symbol of new life. The circle or head like shape at the top stood for the sun as the creator of life.

Certainly, the Christian cross is by far the most popular and easily recognisable cross. The symbol most represented by Christianity is obviously the cross and the growth of Christianity owes its early growth to its torturous beginnings.

Jesus was not the first to die on a cross and he certainly wasn’t the last. Many of the early followers also met the same fate, most notably St. The very humble St. Peter would not be crucified the right way up as he thought he was undeserving to be compared to Jesus. This upside cross is still used today in some Catholic ceremonies to symbolise humbleness and respect to Jesus. The upside cross has also been associated with anti-Christian or Satanic groups.

As you can see there is a lot of symbolism represented in the different adaptations of the cross, and I hope this guide to cross tattoo designs has been of some benefit to you. If you are looking for the largest range of the best cross tattoo designs, then go to my A Guide to Tattoo Designs and I will point you in the right direction.

When choosing a cross tattoo design, there are different things you need to think about.
You can start by figuring out why you would like to have a cross tattoo and then determine what special meaning it has for you personally.
Cross tattoos are considered very personal.
When you have a cross tattoo on a part of the body that is visible, you can expect to get a lot of questions about it such as, why you got it and what it means to you.

Do you know what you will say?
How will looking at the tattoo make you feel personally?
What should this design express about who you are or about a particular point in your life?
The answer to these questions can help you decide which cross design would be the right choice for you.

One of the next things you will want to consider is where you want to put your tattoo.
Cross tattoo designs can usually go most anywhere you want one because of the way they’re created.
You can get them on your arms, ankles, lower back, back, chest, leg, calf and more.
Below you’ll find some of the more popular Christian-inspired cross tattoo designs:

The Latin cross
The Cross of Triumph
The Crucifix
The 3-step Cross
The Tau Cross
The Maltese Cross
The Celtic Cross
The Crusader’s Cross
The Russian Orthodox Cross
The Anchor Cross
St. Andrew’s Cross
The Resurrection Cross
Here are some popular non-Christian-inspired cross tattoo designs:
Greek cross
Native and Mesoamerican Cross
The Ankh
The Aztec Cross
Gothic Cross
Gammate Cross (swastika)
The Chinese cross
There are so many different designs available you are sure to find something that suits you whether it’s Christian or non-Christian inspired.
Some people like to use existing cross ideas and intertwine them with other images or components for a more complex tattoo.
However, it’s completely your choice and you have to decide which one is best suited for you.
Since this is something that you will be living with for the rest of your life, it’s important that you choose something that you’ll always be happy with, so choose carefully.
Whatever design you choose, the cross tattoo is considered a timeless classic that will remain with you for the rest of your life.

Whatever the particular significance the cross tattoo has for you, the image can convey that message in a powerful way. And that image and declaration will be with you forever, so be sure to research all the possible cross tattoo designs you can and choose the right one. The way you go about looking for the perfect cross design is to firstly, browse the biggest online galleries, you can find a huge collection of the best coss designs online.

If you’d like to read my review of the most popular online gallery to buy Cross tattoo designs, go here: Chopper Tattoo Review

When you’ve been all around a few galleries, download the ones that you prefer, a few choices, take them along to a tattoo parlour and ask the tattooist for their opinion. Ask them which one they think would suit you best, and also take a look at their own collection.

Now with a cross tattoo design it is especially important to take this step and ask a good quality tattooist. This is because cross images in tattoos can be subject to what is known as deflation. The area of the body with the tattoo can cause the cross to lose its shape and look strange, it happens to cross tattoos because they need straight lines to look their best. Perfectly straight lines give the cross image its power.

Irish tattoo designs often have cross image in them, you can read about them here: Irish Tattoo Designs

Some people jsut don;t have good bodies to carry cross tattoos, or at least they have to select the tattoo and that body area carefully to make sure it does not deflate once the image is inked. But don’t worry about it too much, any good quality tattooist will be able to help you.

You can find out more about Cross tattoo designs here: Cross Tattoo Designs

Cross tattoo designs indicate a dedication to the Christian faith but they also have other meanings. Consequently don’t feel like you simply have one design to decide from; read on and see that you have plenty of kinds!

When you witness somebody with a cross tattoo, you would almost certainly presume that person is fairly religious. But that simply might not be true. The cross has been present for centuries.

Certainly, you could clearly trace it back to biblical times, but what about earlier than then? While we may never know the precise origins of the cross, scientists have found pictures on stone caverns in Europe dating as far back as the Stone Age! In the past, people used the cross to represent life, or the Tree of Life, when drawn. Since that time, the cross has established itself many adaptions and meanings.

One of these adaptations is the ankh. The ankh derives from Egypt and is a hieroglyphic that means “eternal life”. The ancient Egyptians were extremely interested in what occurs once you pass away, so this symbol was employed quite regularly on tombs and pyramids.

Overall, the ankh is rather prevalent because of its status in history and culture. As far as its connection to the cross we are most accustomed with today, we need merely to read the Latin name of the ankh, which was “crux ansata”, or “cross with a handle”.

Another adaption of the Christian cross can be located right here in America. This one is identified as the sun cross. Simply, this cross looks like a cross surrounded by a circle. Native Americans used this symbol very commonly. Inside their culture, it symbolizes the Medicine Wheel of life. Regardless of what the term may make you believe, these “wheels” were not used for any medicinal reasons. Instead, they were utilized to signify sacred lands.

Possible one of the most easily distinguished and identifiable of all the crosses is the high cross. They are substantially decorated and at times have a circle going through the area where all four arms convene. When this transpires, it develops into a Celtic cross.

High crosses are free standing, which makes them especially fashionable as garden ornaments and statues. In truth, though most notable displayed in Ireland, these crosses are particularly common in cemeteries. People are apt to enjoy this cross as its façade is very “Irish” in quality; those proud of their Irish legacy tend to get this and other Celtic cross tattoos.

Now that you understand the qualities of a few of the most common cross tattoo designs, you can make a decent decision regarding your tattoo. Remember, it doesn’t have to be the holy aspect of crosses that make you desire one, it’s the feeling and meaning you have for the cross. So be daring and get that beautiful cross tattoo!

Since then however, times have changed and a tattoo is no longer something to be ashamed of; on the contrary, more and more women every day are getting tattoos and showing them off with pride.

There are a variety of tattoo designs that have become very popular these days amongst women. First up there is the lower back tattoo. Though at first thought this might just seem like a location, a lower back tattoo truly is a design in and of itself. The lower back is a great place for a tattoo because it’s relatively flat and a lot of detail can be added.

Lower back tattoos show, and draw attention to a woman’s curves. Common lower back designs include stars, butterflies, vines, birds, flowers, fish, and snakes. All of these can feature into a design that nestles right along your lower spine to great effect.

Ankle tattoos are also very popular amongst women. Ankle tattoos are similar to lower back tattoos in that they are easy to conceal if need be, but different in that they are generally much smaller, therefore less expensive and less intimidating to someone who has never had a tattoo before. Ankle tattoos became popular in the 90s and add a touch of beauty to the curve of the lower calf, as well as making the legs look longer and slimming the ankles.

Ankle tattoos can simulate jewelry or take on a variety of designs, such as tribal bands, vines, fish, stars, butterflies, or birds. Any of these designs can go around the ankle or just be in the vicinity.

If you are ready to go the whole hog and get a full back tattoo, you have many options. The most popular by far amongst women is the big angel wings that seem to sprout from the shoulder blades. These white-feathered wings are truly breath-taking when done well. There are other variations on the wing theme, such as devil wings or tattered angel wings.

Apart from the wing theme, some women have also been getting more gothic-themed designs on their back, such as stitching or other gory designs.

As far as designs that can go anywhere, there are many popular recurring themes amongst women, such as fairies, dolphins, angels, crosses, shells, flowers, butterflies, birds, stars, fish, snakes, and tribal designs.

If you have an inkling (no pun intended…) of what you want, but can’t come up with the details, look around at some tattoo studios or go online and look for best tattoo websites. Quite often, you will be able to take your design and get ideas from other people and mix the two to great effect.

The best thing you can do if you’re looking for a sexy design that shows off your femininity and personality is to look inside yourself and try and come up with things that define you.

These are the sort of ideas that will lead you to your perfect tattoo.