Mother daughter tattoos you say? Don’t we wish all moms were this cool? Matching tatts are a great way to show off the special relationship between two people and what relationship is closer than a mother and her daughter? Unlike romantic relationship, mom and daughter will last the distance.
Tattoos really have come a massive way in the last 10 years. Not just in terms of art and designs but in terms of becoming more socially acceptable. What we mean by that, is years ago it would be unheard of for your mother to condone you getting a tattoo, let alone thinking about getting a matching one with you!
Nowadays it’s quite common place for a mother and daughter to go in to a studio and get tattoos at the same time. Of course it makes perfect sense really, there is a very strong bond between mother and daughter and a tattoo can be a great way of commemorating that, as it is, after all – for life.
We have put together 40 of our all time favourite mother daughter tattoo ideas to show you.
Birds of a feather
First off is this gorgeous design of three bluebirds sitting on a tree branch. The first thing you will notice is that the tattoos are in different locations, one on the arm and the other on the hip. Mother and daughter tattoos do not need to be in the same location, they don’t even necessarily need to be the same design.
You will also notice that one of the bluebirds is bigger than the others. This is possibly symbolic of the mother bird and her two daughters or similar.
You are my sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine tattoo. In beautiful cursive script. In case you were wondering these words are actually lyrics from the infamous 1975 Johnny Cash song. These particular lyrics are perfect for mother and daughter, especially as daughters are often referred to as ‘Sunshine’.
Matching clovers
There are many different types of clover tattoos, including the lucky four leafed clover. We love this modern take on the clover that’s made up of three interlocking love hearts.
Tribal Swirls
Some more examples of some beautiful tribal style swirl tattoos. Tribal tattoos have a very rich history behind them and if you’re descendants of a certain tribe than this can be a great way of acknowledging that, or you may just simply love the design as we do.
My Only Sunshine
Another example of the classic Johnny Cash lyrics, this time tattooed on a mother and daughters feet. We really love how the tattoo starts on one of their feet and finishes on the other, thus not getting to see the full picture until the two are together. Hopefully this style gives you some inspiration of other designs that you could do like this with your mother/daughter.
Bees Mother Daughter Tattoos
The bee is a very noble and hard working creature, as such they hold a lot of meaning in many cultures. There are also many different ways to get a bee design done including ultra-realistic 3D designs or more cartoon style ones like the ones above.
Watercolour
Another example of two mother and daughter tattoos that compliment each other when put together. This water colour style is relatively new and take a very skilled tattooist to pull it off well. We particularly love the abstract form of the one on the left. The blue ink area in particular that looks some what like a dog or teddy bear.
Anchors
Traditionally sailors would get anchors tattooed on them as a reminder of home. Nowadays it’s a great way of acknowledging where you came from. Too many daughters, their mother is like their anchor in life and so it makes perfect sense why a mum and her daughter would get matching tattoos like this.
Daisies
What better to get for a mother and daughter tattoo design than an actual symbol of mother and daughter!? These exquisite foot designs are also topped off really nicely with the three daisies that surround them. Normally when people get a certain number of something tattooed like ‘3 daisies’ the 3 has some kind of deeper meaning or symbolism to them. It could be as simple as them having 3 pet cats together or something more significant such as living together for a certain amount of years.
Birds
Here is another great example of how mothers and their daughters can both go in and get tattoos together that do not necessarily have to be of the same thing. You could simply pick a theme such as animals or birds as in the picture above. Birds are very common tattoos for females to get because in many ways they are symbolic of when a girl becomes a woman and takes flight on her own course through life. They could also signify moving on/spreading your wings from a dark past.
Angel
We just had to include this beautiful arm design of a guardian angel looking after her little girl. In many ways our mothers are like our guardian angels, always looking out for our best interests (even if we don’t see it at the time).
Deers
Whether you and your mum grew up watching the Bambi cartoon or just have a fond place in your heart for deers/does than this tattoo design could just be the one for you both. We really love how they have incorporated a water colour/abstract style rose below it in bright colours to really make the design pop.
Like Mother…
Many people suggest that we grow up to be similar to either our mother or our father. Whilst it’s not always true there are definitely traits that we can’t shake. This rose style tattoo design perfectly encapsulates that and we particularly like the cursive script that they have chosen for the design.
Butterflies
Why is the butterfly such a popular tattoo amongst females you ask? For one they’re universally accepted as one of the most beautiful creatures on earth. Coming in all shapes, sizes and colours they truly are one of the most magnificent creatures. They also symbolise what a woman goes through in her life. Her transformation from a girl in to adulthood is similar to the butterflies transformation from a caterpillar in to a beautiful butterfly.
Abstract Mother & Daughter
A lovely piece of modern art for you to admire. It is quite common for both mothers and fathers that have recently had kids to get something representative of their new child tattooed on them. This can be as simple as their name, birthdate, handprint or a more detailed and elaborate design such as the lovely one above.
I’ll love you forever…
It doesn’t get much cuter than the design above. Featuring a cat, bunny, elephant and puzzle pieces it’s a great nostalgic design and has beautiful words to go along with it.
Flowers
The shoulder blade really is a great spot for girls to get tattooed. Not only does it look really pretty when they wear a T-back top like the above or a backless dress, but it also is an easy place to cover up should you need to.
Infinity
We’ve shown you a few different takes on this mother daughter symbol now, all of them very pretty. You’re probably wondering what on earth the symbol means or its origins. The symbol is actually a play on the infinity symbol that looks like an eight on its side. It’s also very similar to celtic styles.
Angie
Two more examples of some beautiful mother and daughter butterfly tattoos. As to what Angie is, who knows? Maybe it’s their names/middle names or could even be that they are both just massive Rolling Stones fans.
Rosary beads
Rosary beads have a rich history in religious meaning, apart from that they also work great as tattoos. Because of their shape and style they can wrap around limbs really well and also give off the effect that you’re wearing jewellery. Rosary bead tattoos will also commonly have praying hands included but on this example they just have the Ankh dangling from it. Similar to a cross the Ankh has roots in Egyptian culture and essentially is the symbol of life.
Tin cans
Another really great nostalgic style tattoo. As a child you may have made the talking tin cans that are shown in the tattoo. Either way we’re sure you will appreciate the cool idea of a tattoo that makes a full picture when you and your mother/daughter put your arms together like so.
Mechanics
We’ve seen some pretty cool mechanical style tattoos in our time. Some of the more popular ones are for one person to get a mechanical heart and the other person to get a mechanical style key, thus suggesting someone holds the key to your heart. In the above example you can see there is some great shading/line work and mechanics are a really cool way to fill out any given shape you have designed.
Lotus Flowers
There isn’t many flowers that are more beautiful than a flowering lotus. The lotus holds a lot of symbolism in many different cultures, particularly in Asia. There are many variants of the lotus flower design and they are very popular for females to get tattooed.
Feathers
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘birds of a feather flock together’? Well mother and daughter are definitely birds of a feather and here is a great example of how you can both get matching tattoos that are slightly different. You can both have the colouring in done in your favourite colours.
Giraffes
Giraffe’s are an interesting creature. They are the tallest land mammal in the world and the mother takes care of her young calf almost entirely, with little to no help from the father. The mother’s job is to protect her young calf from predators until they are old enough to fend for themselves. We really love this unique giraffe tattoo, particularly the small red love heart which really tops it off.
Love heart
As you have seen there are many variants of the love heart shape design and it’s also a fitting tattoo for you and your mother/daughter to both get tattooed. This particular example has a bit of an infinity symbol twist on it signifying that a mothers love for her daughter is eternal.
Mom/Summer
Roses are extremely popular designs not only for mums and their daughter but even for males nowadays. The rose is a very complex and beautiful flower and has many different meanings, however most of the meanings are unique to the carrier. A rose to one person may mean something completely different to what it means to you. Some even get roses tattooed on them to signify the loss of a friend or family member.
Finger bands
Bands are tattoos that go around a limb/finger/toe to form a full circle. Here you can see some examples of some celtic style ring bands that also feature the infinity symbol (a common element in mother/daughter tattoos). The great thing about these designs as that whilst they may look like a big commitment you can still easily cover them up with a regular ring if you should need to for work.
You are the wings..
Another really cool example of a tattoo that you both get half of and then it creates the full picture together. This one reads: You are the wings keeping my heart in the clouds, you are the anchor keeping my feet on the ground.
Infinity love
If you’re looking for a great mother and daughter tattoo idea than the eternal love theme is definitely a good one. You can involve elements such as love (represented by the heart) and eternity (represented by the infinity symbol).
Lions
The male lion is generally a tattoo you would expect to see on a father and son, but nowadays there are no boundaries or rules when it comes to art and tattooing! The male lion is the most dominant and feared land animal and also represents courage and will power. They are also a common symbol in peoples family emblems.
Mother & Daughter
Here is another look at the mother daughter symbol tattoo this time on the lower portion of a girls leg. Thick bold black lined tattoos like this are a great idea as thick lines last longer where as thinner ones will bleed/fade over the course of time. We also love how they have incorporated some small amounts of red in to the design. If you’re ever looking for a slight bit of colour, no two colours work better together than that of black and red – especially when it comes to tattoo ink.
Key
We touched on it earlier but here is a reference photo. A great idea for a mother and daughter tattoo is for you to either get matching keys like the one above. Or alternatively for one person to get a key and the other person either a locket, thus symbolising that the locket can only be opened/undone when you are in each others presence.
Where you lead…
Where you lead, I will follow. As a daughter our mothers are responsible for teaching us the ways of life and in many ways we do follow in their foot steps, maybe not necessarily doing the same thing as them, but definitely having them show us the way.
Whale & Unicorn
If you don’t want something that seems so cliche like a love heart, butterfly or mother/daughter symbol than why not opt for something more creative? You can get your favourite animals/creatures both tattooed at the same time. As the example shows above, all they have really picked is a theme or style and you can let your imagination take care of the rest.
Rock heart
If you’re wondering what on earth that is meant to be, don’t worry we will explain. It’s both a love heart as well as a hand throwing up the rock n roll hand gesture otherwise known as the sign of the horns. It is made with your hand by holding up the little and index finger and clenching with the other fingers. The gesture has found itself in to many different circles and cultures, none more famous than rock n roll when popular band Black Sabbath starting doing it.
Elephants
A baby giraffe is known as a calf and it will hold on to its mothers tail with its trunk when going on long journeys to find food and water. The elephant is a very wise and noble creature, they are also the largest land mammal whilst still remaining one of the most calm. There is a lot to love about elephants and they are quite popular for people to get as tattoo designs. When the elephants trunk is pointing upwards it is also symbolic of good look in many cultures. As you can see in the design above the elephant forms a great basis to fill in with interesting patterns too.
I’ll love you forever…
I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always. These are words out of a popular American children’s book titled ‘Love You Forever’ by author Robert Munsch. The book tells the story of a mother looking after her young daughter and thus is a very nostalgic and great idea for a mother and daughter tattoo. Most of us have books that remind us of our youth and that were read to us by our mothers, if you’re looking for inspiration for your upcoming tattoo than maybe look back over these books for some ideas.
Dandelion
Taraxacum or the dandelion as it is commonly known is a flowering plant that is native to many areas around the world. As a child they are a fascinating plant and many of us were taught to pick them and blow off their thistles and make a wish. The above one is a beautiful example of that wish making process as you can see some of the thistles have turned in to birds. Maybe the persons wish was to fly away or turn in to a bird as a child, none the less its a very pretty and elegant design and the perfect one that can go across either both your wrists or also a friend or your mothers wrist.
You are my sunshine…
Here is another take on the beautiful lyrics from Johnny Cash’s 1975 song. As you can see it’s quite a popular tattoo for mums and daughters to both get and is definitely our favourite one. There is not much more of an affectionate name that you can bestow upon someone than ‘sunshine’. When we think about sunshine in every day life it’s the time we wake up and the provider of sunlight, vitamin D, heat and essentially life. Without the sun we could not exist and the thought of living without our mother or daughter respectively is definitely unbearable.
There you have it, 40 of our favourite mother and daughter tattoos. Hopefully you have enjoyed looking at them as much as we enjoyed sharing them with you. If you’re looking to get a tattoo done with your mother or daughter and want something really meaningful but can’t decide what, than hopefully we have helped to give you some inspiration.
If you’re really struggling for ideas, think of something that’s really dear to both of you. It could be a memory you had as a child like a favourite toy, animal, or poem. Maybe you both really enjoy a particular song and want some lyrics from that. Or if you simply want to commemorate your love for each other than there are hundreds of symbols, images, quotes and more that symbolise eternal love, beauty and admiration for one another.
Lastly make sure that after you both get your tattoos together that you snap a photograph of them together to share with your friends. That and take proper after care of your tattoo. It’s a common misconception that a tattoo is for a lifetime and that it will look the same year after year. Without proper care and moisturising your tattoo can fade a lot quicker and become expensive to have to get redone. Try to avoid salt water and direct sunlight on to a new tattoo and make sure you consult with your tattooist about the proper cream to rub in to it afterwards for the best results.
