Tattoo Designs & Symbols provides tattoo meanings, overviews and explanations of some of the most popular tattoo designs in the world today. Tattoo symbols & designs on this page all start with the letter M.

Tattoo Symbol Index - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Madonna and Child Tattoo Designs - the Virgin Mary with her baby Jesus -- has long been one of the fundamental symbols of Christianity and a very popular tattoo design for over a hundred and fifty years. Tattoos of Mary and Child were popular with early sailors, as a symbol of the need to remain virtuous. In part religious symbols were thought to make corporal punishment less brutal, the reasoning being that the hand behind the lash was moderated by religious imagery staring out from a sailor's back. The design remained popular in the "Old School" tattoo genre and more recently has been an iconic symbol in Latino and cholo culture, which are heavily influenced by the religious imagery of the Catholic Church. The design is also popular in memorial tattoos, particularly when remembering children... more

Maltese Cross Tattoo Designs - The Maltese Cross is a powerful symbol as a badge of courage, both ancient and revered. It is the firefighter’s symbol of protection. The fireman who wears this cross is willing to lay down his life for you, just as the Knights of St. John made the ultimate sacrifice when they were battling for possession of the Holy Land during the Crusades.

As Knights advanced on the fortifications of Jerusalem, the crusaders were surprised by a new and deadly weapon—glass bombs containing.. more

Man's Ruin Tattoo Designs - "Man's Ruin", a tattoo often consisting of the many vices that can lead a man astray in life, not the least of which is a woman - or a bad woman to be exact! This woman is often surrounded by drinking glasses, bottles of alcohol, playing cards, dice and... more

Maori / Polynesian Tattoo Designs - Maori tattooing is a distinct school of patterns and graphic designs within Polynesian tattooing. While much of Polynesian tattooing is derived from straight-line geometric patterns (and thought to originate with patterns found on ancient Lapita pottery shards such as have been discovered in Samoa), a design fact which rose in part because the traditional Polynesian tattoo combs are best suited to linear designs, Maori tattooing is essentially curvilinear, and the mainstay of Maori designs are based on the spiral. It should be noted that renowned traditional Hawaiian artist Keone Nunes has demonstrated that it is possible to reproduce complex curved designs using traditional Polynesian tattooing implements.

Maori tattooing is distinguished by the use of bold lines and... more

Masonic Symbols - Freemasonic ritual makes use of the architectural symbolism of the medieval operative Masons, who actually worked in stone. Freemasons, as Speculative Masons, use this symbolism to teach moral and ethical lessons of the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth" — or as related in France: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity".

Two of the principal symbols always found in a Lodge are the square and compasses. Some Lodges and rituals explain these symbols as lesson in conduct: that one should "square their actions by the square of virtue" for example. However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.

Memorial Tattoo Symbols - We all have occasions in our lives when we want to remember a special person, place, or moment in time. We want to pay tribute to a lost loved one, or mark a journey, or ensure that we never forget a day like 9/11. Tattoos have proven to be a popular medium for paying such a tribute, and it’s a practice with a long tradition behind it. Tattoos are striking visual reminders of memories that we seek to permanently preserve. They are the markers and milestones in our personal life histories.

At the turn of the 20th century, over 85% of American soldiers were tattooed in memory of fallen comrades, or in honour of their ships or regiments. In fact, some anthropologists postulate that the origin of tattooing can be... more

Mermaid Tattoo Designs - 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.

The Mermaid, and to a lesser extent, Merman, is an enduring mythological figure and symbol and has been around for thousands of years in many different cultures. Early mermaid legends can be traced back nearly five thousand years... more

Military Tattoos and Symbols - In America, soldiers from the Civil War era, through the First and Second World Wars and Korea, Vietnam, and now Iraq, have all acquired tattoos as an integral apart of their military experience. Today, millions upon millions of Americans -- from those serving active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, to reservists and war vets -- wear a tattoo as a permanent sign of that military spirit.

Yet, it would not be the military without regulations, and until recently the tattoo was under strict orders not to appear on the hands or neck. But that changed recently with a US policy revision that reflects cultural trends -- and also allows recruitment offices to admit more young people to the services. Three times more likely -- that’s how much more likely members of the younger generations are to have a tattoo than their baby boomer parents. Check out the whole page about military tattoos here

Monkey (Chinese Zodiac Symbol)
Born in 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016

You are a vary intelligent and a very clever wit. Because of your extraordinary nature and magnetic personality, you are always well-liked. The Monkey, however, must guard against being an opportunist and distrustful of other people. Your sign promises success in any field you try.

Check out different monkey tattoo designs by some of the world's top tattoo artists and illustrators.

See all 12 animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac here

Year of the Monkey Kanji designs on t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, bags & more.

Moon Tattoo Designs - One of the Twelve Symbols of Sovereignty (imperial authority), the moon is a symbol of heaven. The moon is representative of the passive principle (Yin) to the sun's active principle (Yang). The moon in heraldry is always borne as a crescent, usually with the cavity turned upward. In Western astrology The Moon is said to represent the... more

Music Tattoo Designs - Tattoo designs symbolizing music can be as obvious as musical notes, treble clefs and actual bars of music (see Robbie Williams for one!), but instruments, birds and just about anything musical can be...  more

Musical Notes Tattoo Designs - the notational symbols in a bar of music to represent the duration of a sound, and when placed on a musical staff - the five horizontal lines - to also indicate the pitch of the sound. Pitch defines the tone of a note of music in relation to others, thus giving it a sense of being high or low. Musical notes can be full notes, half notes... more

Tattoo Symbol Index - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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