It is a common knowledge to everyone that most tattoos come with meanings in them. Tattoos are permanent so if someone would decide to get one, it should be something that they will treasure forever or something that has a significant meaning in their life. One of the most common tattoos that you will find on men is the skull. Generally, skulls are used to represent death and in fact, people associate it to something scary which is why you often see them on a scene in a horror movie. But skull tattoos mean a lot of things. For others, it represents protection, power and strength. Some people would also see it as a sign of overcoming obstacles. Here are the top 20 skull tattoo ideas for men.
1. Raven Bird on a Skull
A raven tattoo is said to depict protection, intelligence and death. So it seems that they have similar meanings with a skull tattoo and therefore, both will pretty much blend well with each other. In this tattoo however, you will find a short quote that says “luctor et emergo” a popular Dutch motto that means “I struggle and emerge”. Thus, it can be concluded that the skull signifies “the struggle” which the raven has finally defeated.
Image Credit: dragontattoo
2. Girl Kissing a Skull
It’s a bit difficult to decipher the real meaning behind this somewhat humorous tattoo, which is what makes the tattoo seem interesting. And although the skull would signify death, the girl as well as the three red roses surrounding the tattoo somehow gives life to this intriguing tattoo.
Image Credit: skulltattoos
3. Skull with Wings
A skull with angelic wings is among the most popular skull tattoos of all time. As you know, wings signify freedom, flight, spiritual enlightenment and ascension. Thus, a skull with wings could mean that the death would free a person from the burdens of life. In other words, the past will be put to death and thus, the person will be free from whatever constraints he or she had in the past.
Image Credit: Find Your Tattoo
4. Two Skulls
If you are not satisfied with just one skull, then why don’t you make it two? The two skulls are uniquely portrayed in this cool body side abstract tattoo. Although others would see black skulls as boring, scary, and sad and signifies death, the red inks on the side somehow give life to the tattoo which makes it really interesting.
Image Credit: Utattooing
5. Smiling Skull
You often see skulls that are scary looking and are truly depressing. After all, it symbolizes death. But this tattoo of a smiling skull is not just your usual skull tattoo. If you take a closer look, you will notice that the skull is opening his mouth wide and… smiling! There are lots of meaning behind this and one of these is that this probably refers to an “evil grin” or a devil hiding under a smiling face, so beware.
Image Credit: Tattoostime
6. Skull with Leaves
A skull with green leaves all over is another great idea of a skull tattoo. Skull is understood as death while the green leaves could signify life. Therefore, this tattoo is like a contrast of life and death which is really fascinating. It’s uniquely designed too, since the skull seems like it is eating some leaves which could mean that death somehow consumes life.
Image Credit: Tattooskart
7. Big Skull Tattoo
If you want a really huge skull to occupy your entire back, then this tattoo would be a great inspiration. It has a great design and will certainly make heads turn on you if you are half naked. Also, a skull tattoo could also mean protection so if you have a tattoo on your back as big as this, then you will sure to get all the protection that you need.
Image Credit: Your Tattoos
8. Skull with a Hat
A skull with a hat tattoo is becoming more and more popular these days and this could be because a lot of people were inspired to follow Harry Styles. Yes, the most popular member of the boy band One Direction had a tattoo of a grinning skull wearing a hat on his left arm. Whatever is the meaning behind this tattoo, only Harry knows. His fans probably love the idea so they got their own skull with hat tattoo, such as the one shown below.
Image Credit: therpf
9. Several Skulls Tattoo
If you are not contented with just one, two or three skulls, then why don’t you get a tattoo with several skulls? This sleeve tattoo looks really cool and will surely get people to notice you especially if you are wearing a sleeveless shirt. Since skull tattoos also signifies strength and power, having so many of them could mean that you are really very powerful, right?
Image Credit: tattoodesignsideas
10. Snake and Skull
A snake tattoo could mean a lot of things, especially if they are paired with a skull. This combination could mean a decay and death right in the hands of the most feared creature, the snake. But in some cultures, the snake is often seen as healing and rebirth. So if it is paired with the skull, it could mean a cycle of death and rebirth.
11. Skulls and Crossbones
Another common design for a skull tattoo is the one that comes with crossbones. This could mean a lot of things. This could refer to poison, death or danger. But in some cases, men that have this kind of tattoo would use it to depict ruggedness or fearlessness. Because of its popularity, there are now so many variations of the skull and crossbones tattoo and one of them is the one shown below.
Image Credit: mistryssc.deviantart
12. Skull and Heart
We all know that heart means love. In this tattoo, it seems that the skull is trying to consume “love” so this could mean an end of a romantic relationship especially since the cross bone is placed like it’s crossing out the heart. But whatever the meaning behind this tattoo is, the bright red heart certainly helped to enhance the visual appeal of the skull tattoo.
Image Credit: Tattoo Artists
13. Three Skulls
As already mentioned, the skull tattoo has so many meanings. In some belief, skull has long been used as a symbol of triumph and rebellion. In this tattoo of three skulls, all these skulls could perhaps refer to the three phases in the person’s life where he has experienced triumph or rebellion, depending on how he views the skull. This tattoo also signifies masculinity and is really for the brave heart.
Image Credit: Blogspot
14. Skulls with a Quote
If you’d like to have some of your favorite quotes tattooed on your body, why don’t you add some skull designs on it? In this image, the quote is surrounded with various skulls along with some roses which seemed like contrasting to each other, yet, the result is gorgeous and in fact, the quote was even more highlighted.
Image Credit: Bacolod City Online
15. Scary Skull Tattoo
Skulls are supposed to be scary, right? So it’s not really surprising to see skull tattoos that are scary looking such as the one shown below. But of course, your goal is not to scare anyone. Getting a scary looking skull tattoo could mean a lot of things. It could refer to bravery, power and strength when it comes to overcoming obstacles. So despite of the skull looking scary, there are also lots of positive meaning behind it.
Image Credit: Pic Photos
16. Colorful Skull
This colorful skull tattoo for men may have some feminine flair in it for being too colorful, but this tattoo will look great for men too. In fact, it is mostly preferred by men who want to have a not so creepy skull tattoo. As you know, the skull is often being portrayed negatively. But by adding some vibrant colors on it, such as the one shown below, the tattoo would look even better and is much more appealing than the usual gloomy shade.
Image Credit: Sugar Skull Tattoos
17. Cherub with a Skull
Cherub signifies innocence or a new born baby so it is indeed in contrast of the Skull, as a symbol that is often associated to death. A cherub with a skull tattoo could mean a lot of things. The contrasting design is distinct but it looks really great especially when added with several other elements.
Image Credit: Tattoo Designs Ideas
18. Butterfly and Skull
The combination of butterfly and skull tattoo means a lot of things. It is also contrasting since butterfly often signifies grace and beauty while skull is often seen as something creepy. But in the tattoo shown below, there are several other elements that can be seen in this skull tattoo design. It has an image of a rose in the mouth area, with some jewelries and a gem, which enhances its overall look.
Image Credit: Funny Tattoos
19. Skull with a Rose
Another contrasting skull tattoo design for men is this skull tattoo with rose. As you know, rose is a beautiful flower and is often perceived to be feminine. On the other hand, the skull is often seen as something masculine. But despite of the contrasting design, the tattoo looks really great and in fact, the rose design enhances the overall splendor of this distinct tattoo design.
Image Credit: cuded
20. Abstract Floral Skull Tattoo
An abstract tattoo is really cool. If you want a skull tattoo design, this abstract floral skull tattoo would be a great choice. Although the tattoo is for men, this tattoo would look lovely on women, too. The floral design as well as the vibrant colors gives this tattoo a feminine flair.
Image Credit: tattoomenideas
Just like with the saying “don’t judge the book by its cover”, you should never judge someone by his tattoo. Although a skull tattoo is often portrayed negatively, this does not mean that the person who had that kind of tat is bad. Remember that there are meanings behind each and every person’s skull tattoo so get to know the person first before you judge.
