Coat of arms tattoo: best ideas and meaning

Coat of arms tattoo: meaning and symbolism

The coat of arms began as a way of telling one armoured fighter from another, and gradually became the mark of a family, a town or a trade. It therefore carries belonging and continuity – something passed from one generation to the next.

Heraldry has its own language in which every element means something: the colours, the divisions of the shield and the animals. A lion stands for courage, an eagle for generosity, a bear for strength. That system can be used literally when designing.

Modern meaning and personal reading

Most often it is a real family or civic crest – among people who traced one, or who come from somewhere the crest means something.

The more interesting route is the second one: designing your own coat of arms along heraldic rules, where the elements stand for your family, your field or particular moments in your life. The result is a motif that exists nowhere else and still has internal logic.

Styles and design variations

A crest is a dense motif with a lot of detail, so size decides – below about ten centimetres the interior drawing merges. Our gallery is dominated by detailed blackwork and engraving style, which matches the historical source.

Black and grey realism suits crests with a modelled helm and crest ornament. Colour genuinely matters here, because heraldic tinctures are part of the meaning – but count on the solid areas needing touch-ups over the years. We tattoo coats of arms most often on the arm, chest, shoulder blade and thigh.

Our artists like to experiment, and they will build you something that still makes sense to you years from now.