Celebrities like Shawn Mendes and Selena Gomez [1] are sporting body art of some kind, from tiny markings to full sleeves. There are even stars who've gotten inked for their significant others [2] and famous dads who wear permanent tributes to their children [3] on their skin. Keep reading to see all the celebrity tattoos, then check out a bunch of real-people tiny tattoo ideas [4]!
Cardi B
Cardi B has a massive red-and-blue peacock [7] on her thigh.
Harry Styles
Harry Styles has two swallows tattooed on his chest that he got back in 2012. He told Us Weekly at the time that they symbolize travelling because his former band, One Direction, travelled so much [11].
Harry Styles
Two of Harry Styles's larger pieces are a rose on his elbow and a traditional ship on his bicep. He also has a mermaid below the rose and the names "Jackson" and "Arlo" (for two of his godchildren) that he got after this photo was taken.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato [18]'s first tattoo was the words "You Make Me Beautiful [19]" in cursive on her right rib cage, which she got before turning 18 years old. "It's a Christian song, so some people are like, 'Who's that for?' And I'm like, 'No, it's for God.' I was 16. And I got it in some tattoo artist's apartment," she told iHeart Radio in 2014. "It was so sketch [...] but I wanted to get tattooed so bad. I do things out of rebellion. So that was like one of the main reasons why I got it so young."
Selena Gomez
We love the size of Selena Gomez [20]'s tiny neck tattoo, a lowercase "g" for her younger sister Gracie.
Vanessa Hudgens
"Vanessa" is a genus of butterfly, making Vanessa Hudgens [21]'s tattoo extremely fitting.
Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz says the anchor on her bicep is her favourite tattoo.
Rihanna
Rihanna [22]'s lower-chest tattoo pays tribute to her late grandmother with a stunning Egyptian goddess.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande's Chihiro design [28] is a sweet tribute to Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 film Spirited Away.
Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes has a sparrow tattooed on his right hand. The design was done by Livia Tsang [34], a Toronto-based tattoo artist.
Demi Lovato
The singer got the number three [35] in Roman numerals on the side of her wrist to commemorate her father, who passed away in June 2013. "I have the number three in Roman numerals on my wrist and that was a number that was very significant to my birth father because he loved [race car driver] Dale Earnhardt," she told iHeart Radio. "So when he passed away I got the number three tattooed on me to remind me of him, and also because I love Dale Earnhardt. That's like the most redneck tattoo I have, by the way!"
Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes's guitar on his right arm was his very first tattoo. In 2016, he told Ellen DeGeneres [36] that the guitar itself is made of the woods reflecting on the water and the neck of the guitar is a sound wave connecting to the Toronto skyline [37]. The sound wave is actually his parents and sister saying, "I love you."
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus was candid about the loss of her dog [38], Floyd, who died in April 2014. In July, she and a group of friends paid tribute to her beloved animal by getting Floyd's image and a personal message tattooed below their arms.
Rihanna
Rihanna [40] has two different designs on her hand: Maori tribal designs and chevron lines. The abstract image was inspired by henna.
Demi Lovato
You might remember Demi Lovato [41] covered up what she called her "vagina tattoo" [42] with two grey and black roses by artist Bang Bang. The original ink was actually of a lip print.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus [43] has a dream catcher tattoo on her rib cage.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus [44] added an inscription to the inside of her left forearm that reads: "So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." The quote is from a speech given by President Theodoure Roosevelt in 1910.
Demi Lovato
Shortly after revealing that she had relapsed in her song "Sober," [45] Demi Lovato [46] debuted a "Free" tattoo on her right pinky finger on Instagram stories. She also revealed that her team got "Free" tattooed on their pinkies. "The team that tats together stays together," she captioned one of the photos.
Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens [47] had a colourful butterfly drawn on her neck at NYC's popular Bang Bang parlor in February 2011.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus [48] has a bunch of mini tats on her fingers.
Rihanna
Rihanna [49] got her personal motto, "Never a failure, always a lesson" tattooed on her right shoulder, backwards, in grey ink.
Rihanna
Rihanna [50] got a cluster of stars tattooed on her back.
Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes asked his fans during his Illuminate days in 2017 for help coming up with a tattoo idea to commemorate the album and tour. He ended up getting a lightbulb on his right arm [51] with blue flowers.
Shawn Mendes
One of Shawn Mendes's fans tweeted a photo manipulation [53] of him tatted with a butterfly flower hybrid [54] that made its way to Shawn himself. He loved the tattoo so much that he later got it inked on his body.
Miley Cyrus
Kat Von D inked Miley Cyrus [55] with a miniature version of Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical heart in March 2013.
Zac Efron
Zac Efron [56] surprised Tokyo fans in December 2011 with a newly inked motto "YOLO," which stands for "you only live once," on his right hand.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus [57] added to her ink collection with an inner lip tattoo.
Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff [58] added another tattoo to her collection when she got a matching red heart ink with her best friend in 2014.
Harry Styles
On the back of his left arm, Harry Styles has a skeleton wearing a tux and top hat, two hands shaking, and the words "Silver Spoon." There's also a little guitar and Pink Floyd's logo in this region.
Justin Bieber
The first tattoo Justin Bieber ever got [59] was a seagull on his left hip. "It's based on this book that my whole family read," he explained to GQ in February 2016. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't visible. It's basically about this seagull who wanted to be more than just a seagull."
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber got the word "Believe [60]" on his left forearm in honour of his second album of the same name in June 2012.
Justin Bieber
In an interview with GQ [62] in February 2016, Justin Bieber revealed that the dark-haired angel on his left arm is, in fact, ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez [63]. "This is my ex-girlfriend," he said while referencing the ink. "So I kinda tried to cover her face up with some shading, but people still know."
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato [64] has the words "Let Go & Let God" across her feet.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato [65] debuted her lion head ink on Snapchat [66] in April 2017.
Cara Delevingne
Cara Delevingne's snake tattoo was designed by Amber Heard and wraps subtly around her wrist.
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Johnson [67]'s right shoulder is adorned with three little birds, which are one of at least five tattoos the star has.
Demi Lovato
In Stay Strong, a documentary Demi Lovato [68] recorded after rehab, she revealed she got the word "Faith [69]" inked right below her elbow, with Lauren Martin, a friend she met during treatment.
Justin Bieber
The "Sorry" singer unveiled his new eagle tattoo [81] on his Instagram Story in 2017, and it looks a little familiar. In between his "Son of God" stomach tattoo and the word "Purpose" sits a giant bald eagle, similar to the one Rihanna [82] has on her chest.
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne has multiple pieces on her back including a star on her neck and the words "I love my mommy" in French.
Eve
Rapper Eve became known for her breastbone paw prints.
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr [83] has a cherub and the numbers "29:11" and "4:13" etched on her foot.
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore [84] has the outline of a little bird tattooed on the inside of her right arm.
Nick Cannon
Following Nick Cannon's April 2008 nuptials to Mariah Carey [85], he was spotted with "Mariah" prominently displayed on his back.
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood has a geometric shape with vines inked on her inner right leg.
Adriana Lima
Adriana Lima has a tribal design and shooting star tattooed on the inside of her right ankle.
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere [86] accidentally misspelled an Italian-language tattoo on her back. It's supposed to be a direct translation of the phrase "to live without regrets."
Adam Levine
Adam Levine has a tattoo sleeve on his left arm and a large tiger design placed on his right forearm.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron [87] and her mom got matching koi fish tattoos in 1991 — the ink on her back right ankle is the Japanese symbol of love.
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields [88] has a tiny flower on her left ankle.
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling [89] has the cover of his favourite children's book, The Giving Tree, placed on his left shoulder.
Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller [90] has had a set of three stars in a triangle shape on her upper right arm for at least six years.
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood has the initial of her love, Jamie Bell, tattooed on her ankle. Evan has nine tattoos — and counting.
David Beckham
David Beckham [91] showed off his sleeve of tattoo during the 2nd Annual Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey has the letter "M" inked on her left hand.
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne got her head tattoo in June 2014.
Nicole Richie
One of Nicole Richie [92]'s most recognised tattoos is the pair of angel wings on her shoulder blades. She often shows them off in backless dresses and tanks.
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne has multiple tattoos on her left arm including an anchor and script.
David Beckham
During a trip to Beijing, China David Beckham [93] showed off his tattoo to his fans.
Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed [94] has Russian script tattooed under her right arm.
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake [95] has artwork on his arms and his legs. The singer's left calf is inked with a Chinese symbol meaning "music" and an astral band which has his sun sign symbol featured in the middle of the band.
Audrina Patridge
Audrina Patridge [96] has a colourful strawberry snake tattoo on the back of her neck.
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne has two skull and crossbones tattoos on both of her feet.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron [97] sports a small flower on the top of her right foot.
Melanie Griffith
Melanie Griffith made her love for husband Antonio Banderas [98] permanent in 2000 with a tattoo of his name on her arm.
Jenna Dewan Tatum
Jenna Dewan has a pair of wings tattooed on her upper back.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera [99] has her nickname "Xtina" inked on the back of her neck.
Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy [100] tweeted her new foot tattoo of a rose.
Malin Akerman
Malin Akerman and her friend got matching puzzle piece tattoos.
Britney Spears
Britney Spears [101] has a pair of dice tattooed above her left inner wrist.
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano [102] has a Buddhist symbol on her back.
Lea Michele
Lea Michele [103] has butterfly tattoos on her right foot.
Nicole Richie
One of Nicole Richie [104]'s first tattoos was an anklet design, with a cross.
Jamie Foxx
It was reported that Jamie Foxx [105] got the design on his head to celebrate his 40th birthday.
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne got a small red heart tattooed on her left pinky finger.
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham [106] has David Beckham [107]'s initials, "DB," on the inside of her right wrist.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj has Chinese characters running up her arm.
Miley Cyrus
The singer has the word love tattooed on her inner ear.
Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson [108] has an outline of a tiny star on her left foot, near her big toe.
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood has a famous Edgar Allen Poe quote, "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream," inked between her shoulder blades.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry [109] and Russell Brand [110] got matching tattoos on their inner arm in 2010. It means "go with the flow" in Sanskrit.
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano [111] sports a chain of roses around her right ankle.
Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana's right foot tattoo is Arabic and apparently means, "I want to ask her."
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige belts out big hits, and when it comes to tattoos she goes big. Mary has a large cross on her left arm and her name on her right.
Mena Suvari
Mena Suvari got a lion's head with the words "word, sound, power" on her upper back in 2008.
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham [112] has a Hebrew scripture meaning "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, who grazes among lilies" inked on her neck. David has the same tattoo on his left arm.
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore [113] has the word "breathe" tattooed on her inner left wrist.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson [114] picked a colourful sunrise scene in 2007. She's since said, "It makes me happy when I look at it."
Kyra Sedgwick
Kyra Sedgwick showed off her new tattoo at the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards. The tribal ink is formed from two K's, an S and a T, the first initials of her kids and husband.
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz has her favourite numbers, "883," tattooed above her right ankle.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie [115]'s back features Buddhist text. It's reportedly a recitation meant to protect her and son Maddox. It reads, "May your enemies run far away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides."
Josh Kelley
Josh Kelley put a lot of thought into his forearm tattoo. He tweeted about the ink in November 2011 saying, "My wife's b-day is Nov 24 and Naleigh's is on Nov 23 so her 23 is in Korean and the sagittarius symbol in the middle." Josh had the work done at LA's Studio City Tattoo.
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba [116] has a flower vine tattooed on the back of her neck.
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore [117] has a large cross covered in vines on her right ankle.
Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria [118] celebrated her marriage to Tony Parker by getting his basketball jersey number, nine, tattooed on the back of her neck in 2008.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson started a trend in the '90s with her barbed wire arm tattoo.
Megan Fox
Megan Fox [119]'s tattoo reads, "We Will All Laugh at Gilded Butterflies."
Nicole Richie
Nicole Richie [120] has a pink bow tattoo on her neck with her last name inked underneath.
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige has her own name inked on her right arm.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie [121] sports a "know your rights" tattoo on the back of her neck as a declaration of her support for human rights.
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum [122] had "Seal" and four stars, one for each of her children, tattooed on the inside of her left arm in 2008 to commemorate her fourth wedding anniversary with her then-husband, Seal.
Britney Spears
Britney Spears [123] has a permanent kiss on her right inner wrist.
Kate Moss
Kate Moss [124] has a small anchor tattooed on the outside of her right wrist.
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr [125] has a rose on her right arm.
David Beckham
David Beckham [126] has the names of all three of his sons, Brooklyn, Cruz, and Romeo, tattooed on his back.
Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel [127] has a small tattoo of a dove on the right side of her stomach.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp [128] has many tattoos, including his daughter's name on his chest.
Lana Del Rey
Singer Lana Del Rey has numerous tattoos, and on her right hand the saying, "trust no one" and on her left "paradise."
Lea Michele
Lea Michele [129] has two musical notes from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" on her left shoulder.
Lady Gaga
Shortly after her VMA meat dress appearance in September 2010, Lady Gaga [130] debuted a unicorn on her upper left thigh inscribed with the title of her album Born This Way.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie [131] has all the coordinates of her children's birthplaces tattooed on her left arm.
Malin Akerman
Malin Akerman's large lotus flower on her back represents her Buddhist upbringing. The lotus flower is an important Buddhist symbol, as the flower grows without roots.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson [132] paid tribute to the Big Apple by getting a "I Heart NY" bracelet tattooed on her wrist.
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling [133] told W magazine in 2010 of his various arm tattoos, "I like when [tattoos] look bad, but no one will do bad tattoos. So I did one myself. That's why it's bad. I'm waiting to get old — I think old guys with tattoos look good."
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake [134] has a large cross tattoo on his upper left shoulder.
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon [135] showed off her hip tattoo, a star with blue swallows on either side, during a Hawaiian holiday in 2011.
Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé has his son's name tattooed on his wrist.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie [136] sat for Thai tattoo master, Sompong Kanphai, in Bangkok in 2008 to get her tiger ink.
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting showed off her freshly inked Roman numerals of her wedding date in 2014.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has a small outline of a heart near her wrist.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan [139] showed off her "shhh" tattoo in Singapore.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried [140]'s naughty tattoo says "minge." She told Chelsea Handler [141], "It means vagina and kind of proud of it. It's my nickname... and it's slang in England."
Jaime King
Jaime King has her last name inked on her back.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina unveiled this forearm tattoo during a Cambodian trip in late 2015.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga honoured David Bowie [145] shortly after he tragically passed away in 2016.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina first showed off the massive new tattoo during a trip to Cambodia.
Adele
The letter "A" behind Adele's right ear is said to be a tribute to her son, Angelo.
