43 Emotional Memorial Tattoos to Honor Loved Ones

Memorial tattoos are a unique and personal way to pay tribute to someone special who is no longer here. For many, tattoos are way to show off their style, but tattoos can also express feelings. A tattoo can help keep memories alive long after someone has gone. Tattoos can honor the person and help you remember the good times. We have found 43 emotional memorial tattoos that will be a beautiful tribute to any loved one.

1. Memorial Tattoo Idea

Our first tattoo is a beautiful piece that features a bird and a quote. The quote reads “She lived and laughed and loved and left”. This is a tribute that says their loved one had a zest for life. It is a design that remembers the good times but also acknowledges the loss.

2. Handwriting Tattoo

When we lose someone, we try to hold on to them and remember them. A handwriting tattoo can be a lovely way to do this. It allows you to have a piece of your loved one with you forever. This tattoo design features a word out of a hand-written letter. It is a beautiful memorial tattoo design.

3.  Coordinates Tattoo

The next tattoo on the list features coordinates of a father and daughter’s favourite place. A design like this is a beautiful way to remember someone special. If you were thinking about a tattoo like this, you could get the coordinates placed anywhere on your body with any picture.

4. Always in My Mind

A quote is a lovely memorial idea. This tattoo features “Always in my mind, forever in my heart”. The quote is a way to express that you will always remember the joy and love that someone brought to your life. It is a stunning tribute. The birds are a beautiful touch.

5. Memorial Tattoo for Dad

When choosing a design, consider creating something that is personal to your loved one. This tattoo has a fishing theme to remember their dad. Ink like this will evoke memories of the times you had together. The quote is both emotional and beautiful.

6. Memorial Tattoo for a Child

There are no words powerful enough for the loss of a child. If you have lost a child and you want to remember them and mark their passing, consider a tattoo like this. It is a stunning design that shows the love between the parent and child.

7. We Only Part to Meet Again

The idea of meeting loved ones again provides great comfort in times of loss and grief. That is why a tattoo like this is a perfect choice for a memorial tattoo. It is a comforting phrase that will help you through a hard time.  You could have a design like this placed anywhere on the body.

8. Memorial Tattoo for Grandpa

Here is a stunning memorial tattoo for someone’s grandpa. The design features a grandpa and granddaughter in the sunset. This tattoo is heart-warming and emotional, it shows the love between the two. Something like is a unique design that will keep a loved one’s memory alive.

9. I’ll Be Missing You

Next, we have a beautiful arm tattoo with roses and a phrase. The phrase reads “I’ll be missing you, until the day we meet again.” This is another design that will provide comfort during the hard days of grief. You could have a design like this on other places on the body too. Make it personal by having your own fonts and roses.

10. Memorial Book Tattoo Idea

Here is a tattoo that features a beautiful phrase. It reads “The chapters may have ended, but the pages still remain.” Something like this makes a great memory tattoo. It would also be good if you or your loved one enjoyed books. You could even just have the quote.

11. Memorial Tattoo for Mom

If you liked the handwriting idea, this next design is for you. This tattoo is a different style and in a different place. It features a replica of her loved one’s signature that writes “Love Mom”. It is a simple, emotional and powerful piece. You could have a signature tattooed anywhere on the body.

12. Memorial Tattoo for Grandma

Like big and bold tattoos? Then this memorial tattoo is for you. This stunning thigh ink features a heart, an angel wing and a quote. The whole design ties in together perfectly because the quote reads “half of my heart is in heaven with my angel”. It is beautiful tribute. You could personalize it with a name and date.

13. Memorial Tattoo for Son

If you are looking for a tribute for a son, then consider an elephant design like this. Losing a child is the worst a parent could go through but with a tattoo like this you can have a beautiful reminder of them. The balloon could have a different color too, you can always personalize it.

14. Memorial Thigh Tattoo

Memories are precious, and this next tattoo expresses that perfectly. It features a stunning tree with the quote “When a loved one becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure”. This is a beautiful quote and will be a reminder of all the good times you and your loved one have shared.

15. Memorial Rose Tattoo

Prefer traditional tattoos? Then this could be for you. This beautiful old-school rose, bird and scroll features the words “fly on home”. It is a gorgeous ink that could be customized to suit your memorial. You could have any quote put on the scroll. A design like this would look great on anyone.

16. ‘Too Beautiful For Earth’ Tattoo

Our next tattoo has an emotional phrase. It is a wrist tattoo with a date, feather and the quote “Too beautiful for earth”. Something like this would be a stunning tribute to any special person. It expresses how loved the person was. Personalize it with your own date and feather design.

17. Memorial Design for a Child

Here is a stunning piece of art for a child’s memorial. This arm design features a child in shaded black and white ink with watercolors and butterflies. It is a very emotional design that would make an amazing tribute for your loved one. You could customize the colors and design to make it personal to you.

18. My Father, My Hero

A simple memorial tattoo like this one would make a beautiful tribute. It features just “My Father, My Hero” along with the dates. The font used is gorgeous and the design is a reminder of the great man he was. This one celebrates the person’s life from beginning to end.

19. In Loving Memory Tattoo for Mom

This next tattoo idea would suit anyone. It is a stunning design that was inspired by their family’s holiday spot. A tattoo like this celebrates the good times and will make you think of the happy memories of that place. It is a personal tribute with endless design possibilities as everyone’s favourite place would look different.

20. Memorial Quote

The idea of a loved one watching over you can bring great comfort in times of loss. If this is something you like the idea of, consider a tattoo like this one. It reads “As long as you’re in the sky to protect me, there is no one on earth that can break me”. This is a very emotional set of words. You could personalize it with the name too.

21. My Favorite Hello, Hardest Goodbye

Our next pick would make a beautiful tribute to someone you lost. It would be perfect for a friend, partner or someone very close to you. It sums up how meeting this person was one of the best things and how difficult losing them is. You could a quote like this tattooed anywhere on the body.

22. Memorial Quote Tattoo

Next, we have this stunning feather, birds and quote tattoo. The feather suits the wings quote perfectly. It is a very emotional but beautiful piece that would be a perfect tribute to any lost loved one. You could have any feather design to make it unique to you.

23. Dog Memorial Tattoo

The loss of a pet can be heart-breaking, as pets are one of the family too. If you have lost your four-legged friend consider a tribute tattoo. This features a paw print and heart design with a lovely quote. You could re-design this in many ways to suit your style.

24. Floral Grandpa Tattoo

Next, we have a tattoo to remember a Grandpa. The design features wilted flowers with the word Grandpa above. It is a beautiful tattoo that expresses the sadness when we lose someone special. You can recreate this tattoo or use any type of flower. The name and font above can be changed.

25. Beautiful Quote and Butterflies

The next tattoo features another beautiful quote. This is a thigh tattoo that reads “Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day”. A quote like this can bring great comfort when you have lost someone you care about. The butterflies also have special meaning because in some cultures it is believed that a butterfly carries the soul of those we have loved and lost to heaven. So, overall this is a very powerful and meaningful piece of body art.

26. Baseball Memorial Tattoo

Many memorial tattoos have a design that represents the person who has passed away. The next tattoo is a great idea for those who enjoyed sports. This design is inspired by how the person and their father loved baseball. It also has their name in the middle. A tattoo like this pays tribute to the fun times that we share with people in life. Recreate this or you can have any sports ball.

27. Initial with Angel Wings and a Feather

If you are looking for a small and beautiful memorial tattoo, then this could be perfect for you. This design features an elegant initial with angel wings and a halo. It is a stunning way to remember someone. You can try a similar design to this or you can have the person’s full name, but this will be a much bigger tattoo.

28. Unique Finger Print Tattoo

This next tattoo will really keep the memory of the person you have lost alive. Here we have a heart shaped tattoo that features the fingerprint pattern of the person who has passed away. These tattoos are very popular for couples, family members and friends but we think this would be a beautiful way to remember someone too.

29. Single Rose and Roman Numerals

The next tattoo is stylish and gorgeous. This design features a single black ink rose with roman numerals underneath. The numerals are a beautiful way to have the date because it makes the tattoo unique and personal because not everyone will know what it is. You can recreate something like this or choose a different flower, you can also add a pop of color.

30. Memorial Tattoo with Flowers and Dates

Looking for a pretty and bright tattoo? If so, this could be perfect. Here we have two beautiful flowers in different colors. There is also a date near each flower. This is a lovely way to remember two people because there are two dates. There is also a small paw print at the edge of one petal which could also represent a pet. This is a unique design that can be created to suit you and who you want to remember.

31. Small Memorial Tattoo for Dad

Next, we have a simple and stunning design. This tattoo features the word Dad in an elegant font. At the end of the last letter, there is also a beautiful flying bird. This is a gorgeous memorial tattoo and it can be recreated with any name. A tattoo like this can also be placed anywhere on the body because the design can be created bigger or smaller to suit the area.

32. Family Photo Tattoo

Photos are one of the best ways to remember someone. You can be reminded of special days and memories that you shared together. This next design has been created using a photo. As you can see, the tattoo is like an artistic version of the photograph. This is a very unique and personal way to remember someone special. You can use any photo for a tattoo like this.

33. Personalized Angel Wings

If you want a larger piece of body art, then you need to see this next design. Here we have a back tattoo that features beautiful angel wings and a halo. The wings also have been personalized and the halo has dates on it. This is a stunning tattoo and is a such an amazing tribute to someone special. You can, of course, have a smaller version of the design created if you want to.

34. Elegant Memorial Tattoo

Next, we have a very elegant and simple design. The tattoo features a name and date that is written in a stunning font. You can have any name for this. Keep it simple or you can add other designs such as birds and butterflies. Either way, it is a gorgeous way to remember a friend or loved one.

35. Grandad Tattoo with Birds and a Quote

The next tattoo is just beautiful. This design features a quote that reads “If love could have saved you, you’d of lived forever”. There are also birds, a box and the name grandad with two dates. This is a very personal and meaningful design. You can have tattoo like this created that represents someone you love by maybe adding different animals that they loved in life.

36. Personalized Floral Butterfly

If you love the butterfly tattoos, then you need to see this next idea. Here we have a memorial butterfly. The butterfly is normal on one side and the other wing has a beautiful flower design. There is also a name below the butterfly and it has stunning jewelry charms dangling from it too. This is a very pretty and elegant idea. You can recreate this with any name and you can also use any flowers for the butterfly wing.

37. Cowboy Boots and Hat

This next memorial tattoo is unique. The design features cowboy boots and a hat. This could be perfect if someone wore these items while they were alive. You can also be inspired by this and use different items to represent the person. So, if the person wore high heels every day or sneakers, then you could use those instead.

38. Memorial Angel Tattoo Design

Next, we have more of a traditional memorial tattoo. This one features a stunning angel with the date underneath. A tattoo like this is a beautiful way to pay tribute to someone because it can show that the person is now at peace. Recreate this or you can add the name as well as the date.

39. Pretty Rose and Dates

Earlier in the post we featured a rose and date design. If you loved that idea, then you may like this one too. Here we have another single black ink rose but this one has the date the person was born and the date they passed. It is a very pretty tattoo. You can create similar tattoo to this or you can add some color and maybe the name.

40. Traditional Anchor Tattoo

Tattoo designs have changed so much over the years but you can still get that traditional look too. Here is an example. This tattoo features an anchor with Mom and Dad wrote on it. A design like this is perfect for someone who wants a unique way to remember those who have passed. An anchor like this can be designed with any name.

41. Beautiful Angel Wings

Next, we have another angel wing tattoo. This time the design features two large wings with a name in the center. It is a stunning piece of body art and is perfect for those who want a comforting tattoo that shows someone is at peace. You can have a design like this placed anywhere on the body.

42. Stunning Lake Inspired Tattoo

This next tattoo is one of our favorites because it features all the things that the people loved in life. The tattoo was created in memory of grandparents who loved nature, the lake, gardening and cats. All of these things have been used to create a stunning lake scene. You could create such a unique and personal tattoo by using this as inspiration. Think about their favorite places, animals and more.

43. Memorial Bird

Maybe you would like a less obvious memorial tattoo without the dates and names. If so, this could be perfect for you. Here we have a back tattoo that features a beautiful bird. Just by looking at this you would not know that it was a memorial tattoo, so it is perfect for those want to remember someone quietly without the whole word knowing. You can recreate this or choose a bird that the person loved in life.

We hope you have found a beautiful design for a memorial tattoo.