Wing Tattoo – Meaning, Symbolism, Designs and Ideas

The Wing tattoo is one of the most precious kinds of the tattoo, a unique way for people to show their creative inner being.

It is very loved by people who want to show their appreciation for freedom and ability to be in the movement.

The wings tattoo can also be a memory of someone you have cherished, who passed away and the symbol is a constant reminder of the person who was so close to you.

Tattooing a wing tattoo can also be your symbolic way to show how important faith is to you and a reminder how it makes you stronger and gives you the power to beat all the wrong odds in your life.

Wings tattoos can be made in many different designs, sizes, and colors which gives you the opportunity to combine your personal preferences and wishes.

Don’t cherish this tattoo only by its beauty but make it more personal and give it deeper personal meaning.

Wings tattoos come in a variety of shapes and combinations with other motives: winged creatures, winged animals and people are just some of the tattoo choices you can come across.

If you have a great passion for some kind of animal, by adding wings to that animal tattoo you will show your passion about it even more.

Wing Tattoo Meaning and Symbolism

Due to many variations and possible designs that can be made with wings as the primary motive, wing tattoo meanings are almost endless.

Here are some of the most common, but since making a wings tattoo is a very individual gesture, there are a lot of them who have meaning only to the person who gets it.

The most common meanings are:

Wing Tattoo - Meaning, Symbolism, Designs and Ideas

  • A long lasting memory of a person we cherished but lost along the way
  • Love for nature and respect for birds and their freedom
  • Appreciation to an animal you consider to be your guide and to her divine spirit
  • Death or resurrection
  • The dualism of human nature
  • Religious meaning and a sign of faith
  • Hope or love for life
  • Freedom
  • Aspiration

Wings Tattoo Design and Ideas

There are endless variations of wings tattoos with different meanings and symbolism.

The great creativities of tattoo artist have produced some astonishing wings tattoos.

Wings tattoos are great for both men and women, and the most common place they are tattooed on is on the back. The reason for it lies in the fact that the creatures with wings also have their wings on the back.

Although this is the most common choice, you can place your wing tattoo wherever you want and in whatever size you want to.

Every wing tattoo can be customized to your preferences and wishes so the tattoo can show the meaning you intended.

If you like wings to be pure, without customizing, you can tattoo big wings across your back as a reminder of the life you will lead after the one on earth, or you can put smaller wings as a sign of your belief that you have a guardian angel somewhere looking over.

Angel Wings with Halo Tattoo

This favorite tattoo design with a pair of angel wings with a halo on the top is made in the memory of a loved person who died and went to heaven, becoming an angel in the process.

It is often customized by adding the name of the beloved person (or her initials) or some beautiful phrase which shows how much you appreciated the person. “Gone but not forgotten” and “Until we meet again” are some of the examples.

This tattoo is mostly made in white and gold color or just with an outline.

Cross with Wings Tattoo

Crosses are one of the most wanted tattoo designs, and together with wings, it can make an awesome tattoo.

The winged cross can be a religious symbol, a sign of freedom, your way to respect the loved one you lost or even your way to remind yourself of a life experience that almost caused you to lose your life.

It can be personalized in many ways, by putting the name of a significant person or a meaningful date. Crown of thorns is often added as a sign of suffering and renunciation.

This is a significant tattoo for religious people since cross has a significant place in Christianity.

Angel Wings Tattoo with a Ribbon

Many people lost a loved female person due to breast cancer and getting a tattoo of angel wings with a pink breast cancer ribbon is a spectacular way to let this person live through you.

The design can be made very simple, but it can also be made very ornamented and colorful. Adding the name of that cherished woman or tattooing a phrase which reminds you of her is a gentle way of showing how much you miss her.

Heart with Wings Tattoo

The heart is a potent and loved symbol which was always one of the most used in tattooing.

Adding wings to the heart, you will add power to your tattoo and give it a deeper meaning.

The heart stood for love and strength and combined with wings of freedom it gives the meaning that its owner is a free spirit, a guardian of love and nature.

One of the most used designs of heart with wings is the one with partner’s name placed in the heart, to show your love and enthusiasm.

Batwing Tattoo

Although you may not like this idea, getting batwings as a tattoo is much more precious than you think.

People often consider batwings as the sign of “the fallen” which is a contrast to the angel tattoo, but they are not aware that the batwings are the old Chinese symbol of happiness and luck and its black color will strongly emphasize this.

Broken Wings Tattoo

Another tattoo of ” the fallen” is a broken wings tattoo (which can include an angel too).

This tattoo can be placed anywhere you want, but the most powerful is when it is put on the back, like a real angel.

If you choose a tattoo with the whole fallen angel, the angel should have his eyes pointed to the sky.

The Wings of the Devil

This tattoo is more “darker” than the one of the fallen angel and is mostly made in black and red. Sometimes the wings aren’t even made as wings but as bones or degrading flesh.

To be more straightforward, you can choose to ad black devil horns above the wings.

Demon Wings Tattoo

This kind of tattoo gives you a chance to be more creative because you can use any color you like and make wings from any type of pattern, not only fether and flesh. The wings can be full of metal, scales or some other design of your choice.

Angel and Demon Wings Tattoo

This is a tattoo which best shows the confliction deeply set up in human nature. It includes two wings, but one is an angel wing, and the other is a demon wing.

Especially useful is the design which makes one wing beautiful and the other one completely obnoxious. Ask your tattoo artist for help and try to find the way you will best express the two sides in you.

Eagle Wings Tattoo

Eagles are a trendy animal tattoo design due to the symbolism of these beautiful creatures.

Eagles have majestic wings which look beautiful tattooed across the shoulders. Bald Eagle is one of most common tattoos connected to American patriotism. It seems especially powerful if it is made with stars and stripes imprinted in the wings.

Bird Wings Tattoo

The bird is a beautiful sign of elegance and freedom and is very often chosen as a female tattoo. A lot of women tattoo mockingbirds, nightingales, and owls, but our choice would be the wings of a phoenix. This mystic bird who goes into ashes and reborn from it is an excellent choice for a person who likes to show how he/she can overcome from a tragedy and be born again, even stronger. The colors of these wings can be in any color, but red and golden are our choice.

Fairy Wings Tattoo

Fairy Wings is a lovely choice for a tattoo, claiming fantasy as the leading force in love or life.

They are delicate and outlined very lightly so it can portray the tender side of fairies.

Fairy wings are best when they are colored in pastel colors, and can be tattooed anywhere you want.

As a cool tattoo for women, it looks great tattoed inside the wrist or behind the ear.

Butterfly Wings Tattoo

The butterfly is one of most wanted female tattoos ever. Their life which starts from a cocoon and later changes them into the most beautiful creatures in the world has a deeper meaning for most women.

They symbolize transformation and the ability to become stronger and more precious.

The great thing about butterfly wings tattoos is that they can be made in beautiful colors and patterns since there are thousands of different ones in real life.

Since butterflies are small creatures they can fit anywhere you want, and in any size you prefer.

Skull with Wings Tattoo

Although this tattoo can seem scary, it is often made as a symbol of emerging into afterlife after finishing the earthly calling. It can also be a sign of departure of your loved one, so if you get this tattoo because of it, place the initials of your loved one in the wing.

It looks especially pretty when it is done in grayscale but if you prefer colors, do it in just a few colors.

Star with Wings Tattoo

This kind of tattoo is connected with the sea and the ocean. This nautical star is mostly made as a reminder of someone close who lost a life on the sea. It is best if it is placed over the heart, to show the love which was lost. The wrist is also the right place for it.

The nautical star is made in any color you like.

Tribal Wings Tattoo

This tattoo is chosen by the people who want to emphasize their native culture or their ancestry which is characterized by their fight for freedom and their beliefs.

A unique touch which can be done with this tattoo is to choose the wings with your country’s colors tattooed in.

Valkyrie Wings Tattoo

This Nordic tattoo is a great choice for women of that ancestry. Valkyrie is mythic women who were known for choosing the greatest warriors and helping them in their battles. They did it by flying over the place of action.

It works great both as a grayscaled or colored tattoo.

Flying Guitar Tattoo

This is one of the most favorite tattoos for musicians all over the world. It is a symbol of the life they lead, going free wherever the music takes them.

It is also a symbol of how music can make you become free.

Adding a ribbon with your fav lyrics is a great way to finish this tattoo.

Flying Eye Tattoo

You may not be aware, but this tattoo is perfect for car lovers. It was made by Von Dutch, a great artist who created his fame on car customization. He used this sign several times.

This tattoo also has a deeper meaning as the dominant eye which sees everything.

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