World's Coolest Butterfly Tattoo Designs!

Butterfly tattoos are one of the most popular tattoo designs in the world.  While butterflies themselves may not be everyone’s favorite motif, it is impossible to deny their beauty and diversity. So today we bring you some of the coolest butterfly tattoos ever inked by tattoo artists worldwide!

To make it easy on you, in this article we’ve divided the different designs and ideas based on the different butterfly tattooing styles. And, at the very bottom of the page, we’ll share with you ALL of the butterfly tattoo ideas we’ve collected and I recommend browsing through them – some are quite impressive.

But, starting at the beginning:

Butterfly Tattoo Meanings

Butterfly tattoos can symbolize just about anything.  To some people, they may be a sign of transformation and change.

To others, the butterfly represents life and nature’s cycle: birth, death, and rebirth. It has to do with the beautiful, yet brief life of the butterfly that reflects the process of spiritual transformation and serves as a reminder of how short life is.

Many women seem to prefer butterflies as symbols for femininity and beauty, while some men go with them as a representation of their own inner balance between masculinity and vulnerability… among other things! 😉

If you were to Google Butterfly Symbolism (or butterfly tattoo symbolism) what you’ll get in a nutshell is spiritual rebirth, transformation, change, hope and life. It is up to you to find the meaning that you feel connected to. 

The most important thing to remember is that if you are getting a tattoo design based on something with meaning, make sure it really means something to YOU. Also, consider how this particular design will look 10 or 20 years from now – what will it mean then?

Butterfly Tattoo Styles

There are countless styles and types of tattoos that feature butterflies. 

Below we’ve tried to cover most of them – now tell us what you like or dislike about each style! 🙂

Small Butterfly Tattoos

There are several body placements that would be a good fit for small butterfly tattoos. Of course, if you want to go small that means that the design will be very simple. A few examples of good spots for these include:

The shoulder blade or upper back The inside of the wrist Either side of collarbone Around belly button (a little lower than the belly button) Right below navel Right below the pubic bone

Ankle tattoos are also another popular location for small butterfly designs. If you choose this spot, make sure your leg is visible when wearing shorts so it isn’t too much of a surprise… unless maybe you’re wearing boots! 🙂

Examples for Small Butterfly Tattoos

Tattoo artist Max Becker from Germany did an amazing job with the detailing of this small butterfly and the love he is getting from Instagram is probably the best proof these days.  

Tiny Butterfly Tattoos

When small isn’t small enough 🙂

Whether it is your first tattoo or an addition to your X other tattoos or whatever reason, butterflies make excellent tiny tattoos! Here are some examples of great spots for these types of tattoos:

The top or bottom corners of the foot (ideal for women) The back of the neck The inside of the wrist Between shoulder blades Behind your ear (temple) On your foot (between toes, if you’re daring)

As with most tattoo designs, there aren’t any rules. You can get a single butterfly or you can get an entire scene. You can design it yourself or let the artist help you come up with something amazing! So many options… so much fun! 🙂

Popular Places for Butterfly Tattoos

With time you’d notice that not all tattoo designs look great at all body parts. The same goes for butterfly tattoos. Here are the most common placements for butterfly tattoos. For your convenience, we’ve organized them by their trending with the first being most common.

Butterfly Hand Tattoo

This one is common as it is desired. A lot of people get butterfly tattoos on their hands because it’s very visible for everyone to see. 

There are a quite few different variations for this tattoo. But the most common design I’ve seen is a group of small butterflies, a kaleidoscope, going up. Either as a stand alone design or leading the eye to another form of a flower or a rose. Some take the opportunity and give meaning to the number of butterflies they put in the tattoo, for example, the number of kids or family members.

Butterfly Tattoo on the Arm

A lot of people get butterfly tattoos on their arms because this placement allows the wings to stretch out along your full arm. You can also have the design stop partway up your upper arm for a smaller look, but still with tons of visual appeal!

Butterfly Tattoo on the Shoulder

Also very popular are shoulder tattoos. By their nature, they can work well as big tattoos so if size doesn’t matter the sky really is the limit here.  Many people like to get their shoulders tattooed because they feel that it compliments their body shape. The shoulder’s curve makes for some great landscape or interesting abstract work too which means the sky in the limit for your butterflies to spread their wings.

Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Another popular spot for women is the neck. Butterfly neck tattoos are very feminine in both design and location. Though I have to admit, I did not expect butterflies on the neck to be in our top five butterfly tattoo placements. 

They usually start around the collar bone area and work their way up to conceal any cleavage or flesh that would otherwise be seen when wearing a dress or shirt with a low-cut neckline.

Butterfly Wrist Tattoo

We talked at the beginning about why butterflies make a great tattoo idea for those seeking a tiny tattoo design. And tiny tattoos simply look awesome on the wrist.