Tattoo Ideas for Men in 2023

Tattooing is an art form with a long history, and it only grows more popular with each passing year. While tattoos are only relatively recently coming to be socially acceptable for women to have, they’ve long been accepted as a way for men to express themselves and communicate their identity to the world. In this guide, we’ll go over the most popular designs, locations, and styles for men’s tattoos in 2023 and hopefully give you some great tattoo ideas for men.

While the possibilities for tattoos are truly infinite, certain designs have remained consistently popular and iconic among men. Animal tattoos, in particular, have a special appeal as they allow individuals to identify with the natural world and express their connection to specific animals through body art. Below, we present a brief list of some of the most favored and timeless animal tattoo ideas for men.

Animal Tattoo Ideas for Men

Animal tattoos have always been popular as people identify with the natural world and animal kingdom. Many tattoo lovers feel a kinship with a particular animal and express it by tattooing that animal on their body. These are just some of the animals that men most often tattoo.

If you know what tattoo design you want to get, the next thing to think about is the best places for guys to get tattoos. Here are some of the most common answers to the question, “Where should men get a tattoo?”

Back Tattoo Ideas for Men

For tattoo enthusiasts, the back is one of the most exciting parts of the body as it is essentially a large, blank canvas just waiting to be covered in ink. In fact, this is probably the largest piece of skin real estate on the body, and many men carefully plan how to best make use of it. Back pieces can be very large, intricate, and detailed, which is very exciting for those who love tattoos and want to make a significant statement with theirs.

Arm Tattoo Ideas for Men

One of the most popular tattoo locations of all time is the arms and for many good reasons. Not only are the arms highly visible to the outside world, but they are also easy for the tattoo wearer to see, so you can enjoy your own tattoos at the same time as you show them off to others. Arm tattoos can range from full sleeves to half sleeves to smaller, simpler tattoos on various parts of the arm to just one tattoo making an impression on its own.

Forearm Tattoo Ideas for Men

In particular, the forearm is a very popular spot for men’s tattoos. Not only is it one of the less painful tattoo locations, but it’s also easy to display whenever you wear a T-shirt. It’s also worth mentioning that many women find men’s forearms sexy, especially when shown off in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and the appeal of this look is only enhanced with a high-quality forearm tattoo.

Hand Tattoo Ideas for Men

Although hand tattoos are not for the weak or mild, they are still pretty popular with men who don’t mind being immediately and easily identifiable as a tattooed person. In fact, a lot of men like that hand tattoos are so upfront, out there, and in your face, as they can really create an impression and tell the outside world something about you. Dive deep into hand tattoo designs and learn more about what it’s like to get a hand tattoo.

Knuckles Tattoo for Men

Closely related to the hand tattoo are knuckle tattoos, which are popular for the way that they allow you to get multiple smaller designs together in close proximity. This creates a very impactful effect. In particular, it’s quite common for men to tattoo words across the knuckles of one or both of their hands.

Chest Tattoo Ideas for Men

Chest tattoos are a very good option for men for lots of different reasons. First, this is another part of your body that is pretty large and serves as a good, almost flat canvas for tattoos of a larger scale and more detailed nature. Second, chest tattoos are easy to hide with a shirt if you don’t want other people to see them, yet also easy to show off when you do want to do so. They can be a great talking piece at the gym or in a game of shirts versus skins.

Shoulder Tattoo Ideas for Men

Shoulder tattoos are very common among men because they do a great job of complementing the musculature in a way that is very flattering and masculine. Shoulder tattoos tend to lend themselves well to designs that feature more curved lines. This is also one of the less painful places to get a tattoo.

Leg Tattoo Ideas for Men

Like those located on the chest, leg tattoos are great because they are equally easy to hide with a pair of pants as they are to show off with a pair of shorts. Because the legs aren’t as immediately in-your-face as the arms, this is a spot where men will often tattoo a design that is a bit more personal or that they don’t necessarily want to be the first thing that people see when they look at them.

Wherever you get your tattoo, you should know that as your body changes, so will your design. Even something like putting on muscle and bulking up can affect how your tattoo looks.

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While the possibilities for tattoos are truly infinite, certain designs have remained consistently popular and iconic among men. Animal tattoos, in particular, have a special appeal as they allow individuals to connect with the natural world and express their connection to specific animals through body art. Below, we present a brief list of some of the most favored and timeless animal tattoo ideas for men.

Animal Tattoo Ideas for Men

Animal tattoos have always held great popularity, as they allow people to identify with the natural world and animal kingdom. Many tattoo lovers feel a kinship with a particular animal and express it by tattooing that animal on their body. These are just some of the animals that men most often tattoo.

While all of the tattooing styles are fair game, there are certain ones that men tend to favor. Here is a list of some of the most common tattoo styles among male tattoo wearers.

Tribal Tattoos Ideas

A large part of the storied history of tattoos is among tribes of various nationalities who used tattoos to represent various identifying details such as rank, clan, social status, and so on. Today, tribal tattoos remain incredibly popular among men as they are seen as masculine, impactful, and bold. For men who have a heritage in a tribe, tribal tattoos can be a great way to connect with one’s culture and roots. Tribal tattoos tend to pair very well with the shoulder or arm placement.

American Traditional Tattoos Ideas

Also called old school, the American traditional tattoo style has its history on ships among sailors. Already somewhat outside of polite society, sailors weren’t restricted by the stereotype that tattoos were uncivilized. Starting in the 18th century, sailors would get tattoos as mementos of their journeys. Today, the visual style (bold lines, vivid colors, minimal shading) and design motifs (anchors, sparrows, pin-up girls, skulls) of these old school tattoos remain incredibly popular among men.

Neo-Traditional Tattoos Ideas

An evolution of the traditional style, neo-traditional tattoos updated the old school look by keeping American traditional’s bold lines and adding an illustrative quality inspired by Art Nouveau and Art Deco aesthetics. Neo-traditional tattoos tend to have more shading, more color, more detail, and more decoration than old school tattoos, and their subject matter varies more widely. That being said, one of the most common new-traditional tattoo design motifs is natural imagery.

Realistic Tattoos Ideas

Realistic tattoos are exactly what they sound like – 2D tattoo images that aim to mimic the look of the 3D object they depict as closely as possible. Realistic tattoos vary quite a bit in subject matter, but some of the most common designs for realistic tattoos include portraits and animals. You may be shocked at just how impressive some realistic tattoos can be, as certain tattoo artists have really perfected the craft.

Black Work Tattoos Ideas

Another tattooing style that is on the newer side but that men are embracing and loving is the black work tattoo, which is (also) pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Black work tattooing has its origin in tribal tattoos, which tend to include large patches of black. In essence, black work just refers to tattoos that use black as the only color in a way that is central to the design. Black work is often combined with other tattoo styles such as illustrative and dot work.

Japanese Tattoos Ideas For Men

Another tattoo style that is currently popular with men but has a long history is Japanese tattooing, which is also called Irezumi, and originated during the Edo period between 1603 and 1868. Japanese tattoos have a distinct smoky and wavy appearance and tend to feature specific images that are central to Japanese mythology such as dragons, phoenixes, and kirins.

Geometric Tattoos Ideas For Men

While you may not think of geometric design as particularly organic, the natural world is actually full of the straight lines, sharp angles, and symmetry that is characteristic of geometric imagery. This is the inspiration behind the sacred geometry tattooing style, which uses repetitive shapes and patterns to create images that have a lot of meaning, history, and power. This style can be used for many different subject matters and can be combined with other tattooing styles to create an even more impactful effect. It is quite popular among men.

The extended popularity of tattooing as a means of self-expression among men is showing no sign of dying down anytime soon. In fact, it’s only growing in acceptance, demand, and favor. So whether you’re a full-bodied tattooed expert looking for inspiration for your thirtieth tattoo or a newbie to the game nervous about getting inked for the first time, we hope this guide helped give you some ideas for what you can use to express yourself.