Top 43 Kids Name Tattoo Ideas [2022 Inspiration Guide]

Is there anything sweeter than the sound of your kid’s name? What strength it gives you, and sense of purpose; they need you, and you need them even more.

Sometimes just glancing down and seeing their name gives you the courage to face the day, because you do it for them.

Tattooing the names of loved ones certainly isn’t a new tradition. For thousands of years sailors, soldiers, and even members of the royal court would ink the names of those they were devoted to onto their flesh, a token of loyalty and eternal remembrance. Today many choose to carry on this tradition by tattooing their child’s name on their arm, wrist, or over their very heart.

Designs and colors can be as varied as you wish, from elegant flourishes to bold print, with additional framing and embellishments available in all styles and subject matter. Many choose to add a portrait of their child above or beneath their ink-inscribed name, either framed or surrounded by garlands corresponding to their birth flower.

Tattooing the name of your child(ren)is the perfect way to mark an occasion of birth or special milestone. Perhaps your child’s name is a special talisman to protect you, just as they rely on you to protect them. In choosing to devote your very flesh to the inked name of your child, you are sending a higher message: that you are a nurturer and defender of the innocent.

Kid’s Names Tattoo Ideas

 

This tattoo, placed on the inside forearm, perfectly demonstrates the importance of the child in the wearer’s life. The black lettering is bold and dramatic while maintaining a simplicity that many prefer over the complexity and bright colors of other designs. The black is well saturated and the script invokes a trash polka feel without incorporating some of the more detailed aspects of the style. It is a simple yet powerful tattoo.

These tattoos utilize a bold and simple cursive script, along with prominent placement on the outside forearms, to serve as a testament of the dedication to the wearer’s children. The well-executed but minimalistic design perfectly conveys the emotion and commitment to family, while serving as a daily reminder of his children’s impact on the wearer’s life.

Some tattoos go beyond simple script. This tattoo incorporates children’s blocks to convey a sense of purity and lightheartedness. The placement on the forearm also ensures that the tattoo is easily visible, allowing the wearer to show off their love for their child. While not perfectly executed—inconsistent shading and slanting lines—the sentiment is strong and clearly demonstrates the wearer’s dedication to their family.

This artist uses two different script styles, as well as some fine line flourishes, to create a tattoo celebrating the wearer’s son and commemorating the day he was born. The lettering for the name incorporates some classic cursive, filigree elements while the delicate line work for the date uses exaggerated serifs, making for a simple but interesting style. The placement on the ribs, one of the more painful places for a tattoo, also shows the wearer’s commitment to his son.

Another motif that has gained popularity, this tattoo incorporates the footprint of the wearer’s newborn baby used on the birth certificate as a powerful design element. This, along with simple, well-executed cursive script of the baby’s name and birth date make for a lovely expression of the innocence and beauty of an infant as well the parent’s unconditional love for their child. The placement on the torso also represents the personal nature of the tattoo. 

This tattoo uses the image of a cardiogram and incorporates a simple cursive script of the child’s name into the design. Placed over the heart, signifying the love and dedication of the parent, the tattoo makes use of a small splash of color. The section of the cardiogram after the name uses this red ink and the shape of the lines to create a heart, a clever design element that adds to the overall piece.

This tattoo incorporates a number of different elements to create an interesting composition. The children’s blocks used as lettering and the newborn’s footprint both work to impart a sense childlike innocence. A banner—a classic tattoo element—displaying the birthdate, background shading to make the letters pop and the prominent placement on the forearm all help to create a tattoo that stands out and displays this parent’s love for their child.

This simple tattoo uses a fine line cursive script to commemorate the wearer’s dedication to their child. A footprint is incorporated as well, however instead of the depictions of true footprints used in many other tattoos this tattoo uses a realistic, black and grey portrait style to depict the infant’s foot. This departure from the more common style helps to set this tattoo apart from other similar designs, while still clearly displaying the wearer’s paternal love.

Realistic, black and gray portraiture is often used to great effect in commemorating loved ones and this tattoo is a good example of this technique. By placing the hands in the shape of a heart, framing the child’s name, a pleasing composition is created. This, along with a slightly ornate, cursive script and well executed shading make for a balanced tattoo that will serve as a daily reminder for the wearer and their child of the eternal bond they share.

These tattoos use several elements to create a permanent memorial to the wearer’s two children. The infant’s footprints, placed within two hearts on either pectoral create a prominent, well-balanced composition. The negative space around the footprints themselves helps them to standout against the black background, and the cursive script with hearts for tittles completes the design. These well-executed tattoos will serve as a reminder of the parent’s dedication to their children and the love they share.

Here is a tattoo that strays from some of the more conventional designs used for children’s names in favor of more detailed and elaborate features. The gears, springs and inner workings of a pocket watch take cues from the biomechanical style while still maintaining a realistic look. The garlands of leaves and the use of Roman numerals for the birth date create a frame for the timepiece, leaving negative space allowing the large, cursive script to pop. This is a creative, well executed tattoo that stands out among more predictable designs.

This tattoo, placed over the heart, uses an ornate, cursive script along with fine line flourishes to commemorate the wearer’s daughter. The simpler lettering used for the birth date adds a nice contrast between the two styles. A large gem stone—perhaps his daughter’s birthstone—adds a bit of color and helps to create a more balanced composition, making this a well thought out tribute the relationship between a father and daughter.

This simple but elegant tattoo uses large, elaborate letters to memorialize the wearer’s son. The placement—on the upper pectoral—follows the natural lines of the musculature, creating a flow that further accentuates the graceful design. The flourishes, including the stylized tittles, add to the composition and help this tattoo standout from other, less elaborate pieces. This is a well-executed example of the calligraphy style often used in Chicano style tattoos and serves as a gorgeous and permanent memorial to his son and the bond they share.

Here we have another example of realism being utilized to commemorate the birth of a new family member. The cursive script is not too ornate to take attention away from the image of an infant holding her father’s hand and the shading is fairly well done with small touches of white for highlights. The placement on the inside of the forearm ensures that this father’s love and dedication is on display for everyone to see.

This is another tattoo that incorporates a number of different styles, most notably neo-realism and illustration, to create a unique memorial to this father’s son, Troy. The shading on the portrait of the new born baby as an angel is well executed and blends well into the filigree and feathers that form the border of the piece. The placement is also worth mentioning: the top edge of the wing follows the collar bone’s natural line and the rest of the image fills the pectoral while smoothly integrating with the existing sleeve.

Here we have another example of simple lettering using negative space to create the script. This tattoo makes good use of bold black lines to create the backdrop for the text; however this piece also demonstrates the need for precision in this type of tattoo. The way that the script pops means that the eye is instantly drawn to any imperfections and here the uneven line work and inconsistency in the lettering is on display. There is no doubt that this tattoo will serve as a reminder of family love, but the sloppy execution detracts from the piece.

This simple tattoo takes the popular design of a newborn’s foot print and tweaks it in a small but interesting way. The use of negative space to create script is utilized in an expert fashion here and the contrast of black and untouched skin makes the lettering pop without going over the top. This technique can often look sloppy; however this piece doesn’t suffer from this problem and will remain a memorial to a father’s love for a long time to come.

This tattoo is another expert example of the use of negative space. The simple script and lack of color is made more compelling by using shadows to create the outline. This tattoo manages to be big and bold without using a tremendous amount of black ink; what could have been another boring tattoo was made into an interesting piece and will serve as a great reminder of familial love piece thanks to a talented artist.

Here is a wonderful example of calligraphy style lettering that is often used in Chicano style tattoos. The highly ornate script and use of artistic components, like the elaborate “E” and stylized tittle, make for an interesting design. The flourishes make use of subtle shading to create the border of the design while enhancing the composition of the piece. This is a great piece that would make any father proud.

This is a great tattoo that uses tight, well-executed script and deliberate placement to create an interesting piece. The way that the tattoo follows the natural line of the outside forearm helps to make a relatively simple piece stand out. The uncomplicated image of Curious George brings a playfulness to the piece that contrasts nicely with the expert script work. Personal touches like this make tattoos unique and impart more meaning to the artwork.

Here is another tattoo of a pocket watch—often used to symbolize the fleeting and precious nature of time—as memorial to a father’s love. In most cases the hands on the clock will point to a significant time, usually either the date or time of birth. The shading and line work create a realistic time piece and the script is well placed, utilizing negative space to make the lettering stand out. The piece is well placed on the forearm and proudly displays this dad’s love for his son.

This piece has a few things going on. The cursive script is clean and well-executed and the Roman numerals used for the birth date and the newborn’s footprints are fairly well done although the shading could be a bit more gradual. The large “A” is an interesting choice. It has a fantasy vibe that evokes images of Dungeons & Dragons and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea it means something special to the wearer, and it definitely sets this piece apart from other, similar tattoos.

This brightly colored tattoo uses an illustrative style to create a cartoon like image that, it is safe to assume, has special significance to the wearer and his family. The common trope of children’s blocks is put to good use here by incorporating vibrant colors and attention to detail: notice the wood grain on the unfinished block faces and the secondary letters on the different sides of the blocks. The perspective on the blocks is also well-executed. While the style may not suit everyone, this is a great tattoo that will bring smiles for years to come.

This interesting piece is definitely an acquired taste, however I can’t think of a design that better demonstrates the strength of familial love than this tattoo. The simple stick figures and drawings were almost certainly drawn by a child and express the beauty and innocence of a child’s perspective. The dedication and pride a father has to feel to get his children’s doodles tattooed on his chest is truly something special.

This is an interesting piece that takes aspects of realism and super imposes them over a vibrant water color background. The expression on the baby’s face is captured perfectly using different tones. The bold black outline also adds a surprising level of definition to a style that can often look ill-fined. The colors splatter just enough to create the water color aesthetic without looking sloppy, and the subtle lines that guide the script give the impression of notebook paper, adding an understated depth.