The Top Twenty-Five Tattooed Celebrities in 2009 -- By Vince Hemingson

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The Top Twenty-Five Tattooed Celebrities in 2009

The Vanishing Tattoo first started tracking the online popularity of tattooed celebrities in 2001 using search engine results and web site proliferation, while compiling the Internet's largest photo archive of tattooed celebrities and historical figures. We compiled the following list of the top twenty-five celebrities with tattoos for 2009 based on millions of 'celebrity tattoo' searches. Eight years ago, celebrity women - mostly singers, models and actors - were far and away the most popular tattooed celebrities. In the intervening years male wrestlers, athletes and Hip-Hop artists have made their presence felt in mainstream popular tattoo culture.




The following is a list of the Top Twenty Five Tattooed Celebrities in 2009. There has been a bit of turnover on the list, with just under a quarter of last year's list of top tattooed celebrities fallen out of favor. At the very least, in the public's mind they are yesterday's news. The median age for tattooed celebrities rose slightly from 26.5 to 27.5.

The 2009 list has its share of well-known celebrity favorites plus a few of your celebrity newcomers - the celebrity flavor du jour, if you will. How long their fame will last is anyone's guess. This year saw a reversal of gender popularity once again, the women regaining their dominance and crushing the men taking twenty of the top twenty-five spots. The men slipped badly down to only five places of the top twenty-five!

Want more? Check out the following lists and find out how many people on them have tattoos...

Angelina Jolie1. Angelina Jolie - Angelina Jolie - The undisputed reigning Queen of celebrity body art. Jolie toppled Pamela Anderson off the top of the list of tattooed celebrities back in 2001 and hasn't looked back since. Jolie routinely gets up to three times as many search inquiries as the next highest-rated tattooed celebrity. Her high-profile relationship with Brad Pitt, who got inked within a short time of hooking up with Jolie, and her growing family of international adoptee's has kept Jolie firmly planted in the public eye.

Oscar-winner Jolie is an unabashed tattoo enthusiast, collector and aficionado. This thirty-four year old actress is blessed with stunning good looks, has more than a dozen tattoos, and shows no signs of slowing down her collecting of body art.

Her tattoos are a reflection of her personality, exotic and with more than just a hint of dangerous sensuality. This is a women with an edge and a true lover of body art. A woman who professes she likes to play with knives in bed and who doesn't hesitate to have the name of the man she loves tattooed on her. And when he exits stage left, she doesn't hesitate to laser it off and replace it a new tattoo.

Jolie made the tribal dragon one of the most popular tattoos for women, and sparked an intense interest in the traditional tattooing of Southeast Asia. Jolie has large numbers of web sites devoted to her worship and her popularity shows no signs of waning as she puts her own personal spin on the emerging genre of female action-stars. Jolie's tattoo commitment apparently extends to her retaining her own make-up artist whose sole job it is to cover-up her extensive body art, a process rumored to take over an hour.

rihanna2. Rihanna - Born February 20, 1988, who performs under the name Rihanna, is a Barbadian singer, model, and former beauty queen. She has also served as the cultural ambassador for Barbados.

Some of her tattoos include - a music note on her right ankle, a Pisces sign behind her right ear, a star inside her left ear, the Roman numerals XI IV LXXXVI on her left shoulder and a Sanskrit prayer going down the hip. Since then she has added at least another five tattoos that include a small skull with a pink bow on the back of her left foot, "shhh..." on her right index finger, "love" on her left middle finger, an Arabic phrase on her ribcage area, meaning "Freedom is God".

Rihanna has admitted that tattoos for her are like an addiction. "I like hanging out in tattoo shops" Rihanna has said. "I am so intrigued by tattoos. It's an entire culture, and I study it. Sometimes I go with friends, or just by myself. I get bum-rushed, but I don't care. I don't take security.

Megan Fox3. Megan Fox - Actress has tattoo of moon & starfish on on her right ankle, Marilyn Monroe portrait tattoo on right arm, "Brian" on bikini line & words "there once was a little girl who never knew love until a boy broke her HEART" on her left rib cage just below her armpit & the words "We will all laugh at gilded butterflies" on her back shoulder, others in a growing collection.
David Beckham4. David Beckham - David Robert Joseph Beckham - The thirty-four year old soccer star is widely regarded as the most recognized footballer - if not athlete - in the world. "Becks" is as famed for his lifestyle, famous-in-her own-right celebrity wife, Victoria (who is also on this list), trappings of wealth, media attention and marketing potential as he is for the quality of his crossings and ability to hit free kicks and corners from long range. Beckham has the words "BROOKLYN" (son's name) across lower back, "ROMEO" (other son) above a well-known crucifixion scene on upper back, wife Victoria's name in Hindi, the Roman numeral VII (7 was his Man United jersey number) on the underside of right arm and other tattoos. Beckham wrote extensively of his tattoos and what they meant to him and their symbolic value in his autobiography, "My Side".
Jessica Alba5. Jessica Alba - Twenty-eight year old Jessica Marie Alba has a growing collection of tattoos to go with her ever growing popularity. The actress has a flower and a ladybug on the back of her neck, a Sanskrit character for lotus flower on her wrist, and a bow tattoo on the small of her back. Alba does nearly as many magazine lay-outs as movies and she is a perennial favorite on lists of sexiest women in the world. Hugh Hefner, no stranger to arbitrating standards of feminine beauty, chose her as the Sexiest Woman Celebrity in the World last year. Despite the flattery, Alba didn't hesitate to threaten legal action when she ended up on the front cover of the world's most famous men's magazine, Playboy. Alba and Hefner did kiss and make up eventually.
geldof6. Peaches Geldof - (Born March 16,1989) Writer, broadcaster and socialite daughter of Bob Geldof has been seen sporting a total of 20 tattoo's and has only just broke 20! Among the pieces of 'art' found scattered across her body is a beautifully done daisy chain which stretches from her knee to her chest. The other works are dedicated to ex-boyfriends and the teenager's estranged husband Max Drummey. The words 'Ex Valentine' around the top of her left arm are understood to be a reference to old flame Faris Badwan, frontman with The Horrors.
von_d7. Kat Von D - Kat Von D (Drachenberg) was born on March 8, 1982, in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and moved to California at the age of 4. She gravitated toward tattoos at a relatively early age, getting inked for the first time when she was 14. It was a tattoo of an Old-English "J" on her ankle -- a memento of an old love.

Shortly after getting her first tattoo, Kat Von D came to realize her own natural abilities as an artist, and her friends soon started recruiting her for their very own tattoos. The first tattoo she ever gave someone was of the skull logo from the band The Misfits with a homemade rig. Giving this tattoo simply felt right to Kat Von D, and she knew she wanted to pursue a career in this art form.
patrick8. Danica Patrick - Danica Sue Patrick (born March 25, 1982 in Beloit, Wisconsin) is an American auto racing driver, currently competing in the IndyCar Series, as well as a model and advertising spokeswoman. Sports Illustrated "airbrushed" Danica Patrick's tattoo, removing it from the small of her back for pictures in their 2009 Swimsuit Issue. Her team at the time stated that Danica is aware of the edits and is comfortable with the final photos." "The Swimsuit Issue emphasizes natural beauty," a SI spokesman told CNBC. "The freckles are left on and, in this case, the tattoos came off." Patrick told Fanhouse that it's half American flag and half checkered flag. Danica stated she had added more tattoos including "some angel wings and some stars and stuff."
Pink9. Pink - The twenty-nine year old Alecia Beth Moore is a Pop Star with a unique sense of style. The singer has a shooting star and angel on the back of her left shoulder, "what goes around comes around" tattooed on her right wrist, "tru luv" a little higher up her, tattooed on her upper left thigh is "Mr. Pink", an oriental style dragon. Pink also has a cartoon cat on her lower stomach, and the barcode from the album Missundaztood just below her hairline on back of her neck. Rounding out her rather eclectic collection of tattoos are a frog on her left foot, the Japanese kanji symbol for luck/happiness on her right ankle, an infinity sign on her hip, a red star on her hand, and her Father's and brother's army dog tags on her left foot, in addition to several others...
Britney Spears10. Britney Spears - This twenty-seven year old singer, Mom & sometime actress has tattoos of a fairy on her lower back, a small daisy circling her second toe on right foot, a butterfly leaving a vine on left foot, & a flower with Chinese symbol for mystery in middle on lower stomach. She also has three Hebrew characters on back of her neck - her Kabala connection - a pair of pink dice inside left wrist, & after one of her well publicized public melt-downs she added lips and a cross.
Victoria Beckham11. Victoria Beckham - Victoria Caroline Beckham - The thirty-five year old former Spice Girl (Posh Spice) has five stars on her lower back -one for each family member, and her famous husband's initials DB - yes, that David Beckham and a Hebrew message 'together forever, eternally' on the underside of left wrist, Hebrew script on her upper back that reads 'I am my beloved's, my beloved is mine' She joins her husband on the list for the fourth year running.
Christina Aguilera12. Christina Aguilera - This twenty-nine year old pop star has "Xtina" prominently tattooed on the back of her neck, what appears to be a small flower on her left wrist, an unusual looking design on the inside of her left forearm, a rumored design on the small of her back, and an unknown tattoo just below her bikini line. As well-known for her unorthodox fashion style as her four octave vocal range, Aguilera also has numerous piercing to go with her body art, including her left nostril, a labret, her right nipple, and reputedly several genital piercings.
lohan13. Lindsay Lohan - Lindsay Dee Lohan. The twenty-three year old actress has a public profile for partying and paparazzi shots that at times threatens to overshadow her film career. Lohan has been a vocal body art enthusiast and has even discussed opening a chain of tattoo shops. She has the words "La Bella Vita" tattooed on the top of her right buttock cheek, a small star tattoo on the inside of her left wrist, the word "BREATHE" in white ink on the other wrist. SHHH... on her finger, A Marilyn Monroe quote "Everyone's a star and deserves the right to twinkle" written in cursive script & surrounded by yellow, blue & green stars on underside of left forearm
milano14. Alyssa Milano - The thirty-six year Milano is no longer the little girl we all remember from 'Who's the Boss'. Although her acting career is perhaps less stellar than Jolie's, Milano has worked steadily in a string of lower-budgeted films and is once again a television star on 'Charmed'. And this is a woman who has over fifty web sites devoted to her. She has seven tattoos that we know of, some of them beautiful work, and that have been fully revealed in photos taken of her by paparazzi at various topless beaches and resorts around the world.
beyonce15. Beyonce Knowles - Knowles has sold more than 50 million records worldwide with the group. In late 2007,Beyonce showed off a henna tattoo on her right forearm when she arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta, Indonesia. She looked stunningly hot with the new henna tattoo. Beyonce had her hip tattoo of a praying mantis removed after many session of laser therapy. Prior to the wedding of Beyonce and Jay-z, they both had matching tattoos of the Roman number IV; significance to their wedding day, which took place on May 4th, in France. Supposedly, the number four is a mutual obsession.
richie16. Nicole Richie - This is Richie's fifth year in the top five of our celebrity tattoo sweepstakes. A search for Nicole Richie's tattoos turns up hundreds of entries on Google. The twenty-eight year old Richie is far more adventuresome in the body art department than her former "The Simple Life" cohort Paris Hilton and hasn't been shy about hiding her nipple-piercing either.
depp17. Johnny Depp - Johnny Depp has been an ink aficionado for the better part of two decades. Many, if not most of his tattoos are sentimental reminders of the people and places he has been in his life. Tattoos for Depp are milestones to remember life's journey by. You couldn't possibly cast a better Jack Sparrow, Pirate Captain of the Black Pearl, than Johnny Depp.
kournikova18. Anna Kournikova - Anna Kournikova was born on 7 June 1981 in Moscow, Russia. At the age of 7, her father began teaching her how to play tennis. Anna practiced everyday. When she was a teenager, she was entered in her first tennis competition. For her looks, Anna became known as the "Britney Spears of Tennis". In 1998, during the Paris Indoors of 1998, her fastest serve was clocked at 111.2 mph. Anna's talent for playing tennis got her noticed not just for tennis competitions, but for TV as well. When she was 19 years old, she got a small, but noticeable part in Me, Myself & Irene (2000) playing a Motel Manager. She also appeared and played Enrique's girlfriend in Enrique Iglesias's music video "Escape". Anna was voted the Sexiest Woman in the World in FHM's 100 Sexiest Girls poll for 2002. In September of 2003, she sustained an injury to her lower back and worked as an on-site reporter for the U.S. networks coverage of the U.S. Open. But, as of March 2004, Anna retired from professional tennis due to chronic lower back trouble. She has never won a WTA singles title but did win 2 Australian Open doubles titles with Martina Hingis. She has a tattoo of a sun design on her lower back, which made its "debut" at the 2003 Australian Open. Oddly, she denied having it, telling reporters that it was actually a heat patch to treat back pain.
BARRYMORE19. Drew Barrymore - Drew has a reported six tattoos on her body currently - but she does not rule out the possibility of getting more. While most people know about five of her tattoos, one of them is a name tattoo that is not often talked of - it is the name of her former boyfriend James Walters, underneath a guardian angel. Drew's butterfly is probably her most famous tat.
the-rock20. The Rock - Dwayne Douglas Johnson, born in 1972, the thirty-seven year old has a Brahma bull tattoo - he is a Taurus - tattooed on his right biceps and a large Polynesian-style tattoo piece on upper left arm and shoulder. Johnson, who is part Samoan, has claimed that the Polynesian tattoo is a traditional Samoan piece, but it more closely resembles Marquessan tattooing than the traditional Samoan Pe'a. The Rock chose the tattoo specifically to pay homage to his ethnic heritage. Johnson first gained popularity as a standout in the world of wrestling in the WWE, (World Wrestling Entertainment) before becoming The Rock, Johnson was known as Rocky Maivia, in homage to his father, Rocky Johnson, and his maternal grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.
jordan-price21. Katie Price (Jordan) - This thirty-one year old glamour model, television personality and businesswoman has tattoos that consist of a pink bow tattoo on her lower back, another pink bow and ribbon with two small hearts on the top of her right foot, a crown and word PRINCESS (for her daughter) on the underside of her left wrist, hearts for her two boys and ex-husband on her right wrist. She carries another heart on her pelvis and a memorial tattoo to her kids on the back of her neck. Several others...
brad_pitt22. Brad Pitt - Following a high profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. As of 2009, he lives with actress Angelina Jolie, in a relationship that has attracted worldwide media attention. He and Jolie have three adopted children, Maddox, Zahara and Pax, as well as three biological children, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Since his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues, both in the United States and internationally.
longoria23. Eva Longoria - Don't be fooled; Eva Longoria is not all lips, hips, breasts, and behind. Forward and blunt, Eva is unafraid to broach topics most women would shy away from. She admits to loving her vibrator (specifically, the "rabbit" and Pocket Rocket, we might add) as much as campaigning for Latino rights, all in one breath. "It's the best gift to give: an orgasm. And if I can't do it for ya, I'll give you the tools to succeed! I have one rabbit and a Pocket Rocket." - Eva Longoria, on what she loves to give her girlfriends.

"You can see three of my tattoos, they're all on public display, but the one that has Tony's initials is only seen by him. I'm not saying where it is, but let's just say he gets to view it on a very regular basis!

tweedy24. Cheryl Cole (Tweedy) - Cheryl Ann Cole (aka Tweedy, born June 30, 1983) is a British singer and member of the band Girls Aloud. As part of Girls Aloud and as a featuring artist, Cole has had 21 UK Top Ten singles. In 2008, Cole became a judge on the British reality TV show The X Factor. She is married to the Chelsea and England football player Ashley Cole. Cole was voted "World's Sexiest Woman 2009" by the readers of men's magazine FHM.
lil_wayne25. Lil Wayne - Hot southern rapper Lil Wayne began his industry climb to the top as one of the Hot Boys, a short-lived Cash Money Records all-star group. After establishing himself as a successful solo artist, he grew to become a critical favorite, known especially for his entertaining underground mixed tapes. Born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, LA, Lil Wayne grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans' 17th Ward. He has an ever growing collection of skin ink ...
The next top ten celebrities with tattoos who just missed the top twenty-five: Paris Hilton, Carmen Electra, Penelope Cruz, Amy Winehouse, Pamela Anderson, Jesica Biel, Jenna Jameson, Justin Timberlake, Halle Berry & Lily Allen.

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Want more? Check out the following lists and find out how many people on them have tattoos...
Top 25 Tattooed Celebrities of 2007 :: Top 25 Tattooed Celebrities of 2006 :: Top 25 Celebrities of 2005 ::
 AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable :: UK's Top 100 Sexiest Women :: Playboy's Top 25/2005

 

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