Most Popular Hand Tattoos for Men

Hand tattoos are gaining popularity recently, especially hand tattoos for men. It could be a matter of extending a sleeve, adding a cool piece of art to the most visible part of your body, or wanting to send a message, but whatever the reason, there are tons of design options to choose from. We looked into some of the top designs for hand tattoos for men to help inspire you, and give you some ideas when you’re looking into this kind of ink. Read on to find out what some of the most popular hand tattoos for men are.

The Appeal of Hand Tattoos

Hand tattoos aren’t something you get if you’re looking for subtle body art. They’re always visible and easy to show off, so it’s especially important to make sure you go to a talented tattoo artist to get the work done, because you won’t be able to hide your scratcher ink if it goes wrong. Why are people drawn to hand tattoos? Toronto tattoo artist CT believes that the appeal lies in the perceived message these kinds tattoos can send, “I think the reason most people get hand tattoos is because [they’re] pretty hardcore, and one of the first things people will see”. Some artists won’t do hand tattoos unless you’re already heavily inked, so if you’re going for your first tattoo, hands might not be the best option for your initial foray into body art.

Most Popular Designs

For hand tattoos, some designs are much more popular than others. This likely has to do with the contours and surface area available to any given design – some just look better. Here we list the top design choices for hand tattoos for men to give you some inspiration. Remember, just because you go with a popular design idea, doesn’t mean it can’t be unique!

Rose Hand Tattoos

Roses are the #1 choice for hand tattoos, both for men and women. Rose tattoos are a popular choice in the floral tattoo category, period, but they work especially with on hands because of both the shape of the area, and the shape of the design itself.

Eye Hand Tattoos

Eye tattoo designs in general are a top choice, because they can hold so many different meanings. They work especially well when tattooed onto hands, though, because the area works well with the natural contours – it’s easy to emphasize an eye when it’s done on a smaller and prominently displayed area of your body.

Skull Hand Tattoos

Skull tattoo designs are always popular, and they can be made to work best when done on hands. Skulls are frequently chosen as tattoos for men because they appear tough, and they can represent a lot of different life experiences. They’re also a very versatile design option.

Clock Hand Tattoos

Clock tattoo designs are timeless (pun definitely intended), which is one reason they’re often used in tattoo designs. The circular nature of a clock makes it the perfect choice for a hand tattoo, and they can easily be personalized to be made that much more meaningful for each individual.

Animal Faces Hand Tattoos

Animal tattoo designs have always been popular, because they hold so many different meanings. Depending on the animal and what you want to represent, there’s no shortage of options to choose from. Aboriginal tattoos in particular feature a ton of animals, and each is linked to a specific tribe or band. They can also send a powerful message when used as hand tattoos.

Script Hand Tattoos

You might not immediately think script when you picture hand tattoos, but words are a super common option for hand tattoos for men. It’s the best way to send a specific message, and you can use a variety of font options to make it unique to you.

There are infinite options when it comes to hand tattoos for men, but if you want to be sure that you’re choosing a design that works especially well on that area, consider the options mentioned above. These designs are chosen for a reason – they work best on this body part, both in terms of surface area, and how they’ll age. You can personalize any of these hand tattoo options to be unique to you, but make sure you find an artist who’s experienced and willing to ink hand tattoos.