A 2023 survey revealed that 32% of Americans have a tattoo — and 22% have more than one.
And according to search data compiled by the experts at LLTattoo, chances are a lot of them are sporting butterflies under their skin.
That’s because “butterfly tattoos” was the most-searched-for design, with 45% of people who are looking for ink looking to immortalize the insect on their bodies. Far and away the most popular all over the word, the company says there are 428,000 searches per month globally for the design, which can be symbolic of rebirth or overcoming obstacles in life.
The second-most common design is a rose, with an average monthly search volume slightly below 295,000 for the flower.
Tribal tattoos are the third-most commonly searched design. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, for example, has honored his family’s South Pacific lineage with their ink, though many people just gravitate toward those designs because they look cool.
Looking at you, gym bros.
The term “tribal tattoo” applies to Celtic and Dayak tattoos and Maori designs. Tattoos are a major part of that New Zealand people’s culture.
Dragon tattoos ranked fourth, with more than 257,000 searches monthly. Apart from cultures that identify heavily with the mythical creatures, like the Chinese and Japanese, dragon tattoos symbolize “courage, strength, and protection,” according to the tattoo experts. And then there are the Game of Thrones fans.
Flower — that is, non-rose tats — ranked as the fifth-most common, with an average of 249,000 searches globally per month.
Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.