Beautiful Elephant Tattoos and Their Meaning

If you love what an elephant tattoo symbolises and want to be reminded of it a hundred times a day, then this cute little finger tattoo could be a good choice. Any time you need a little reminder of why you got the elephant tattoo in the first place, you just need to look at your hand to find that little extra strength.

What better way to pay tribute to a special little one in your life – whether it be your own child, or a beloved niece or nephew, godchild, or younger sibling. The cute cartoon elephant is holding a balloon, which has been given the initial of a special someone. The watercolour style bathroom is soft and delicate, fitting in with the design perfectly.

The mandala is a classic tattoo design and the gorgeous shapes have absolutely transformed this elephant tattoo. The black line work is clean and crisp and there is just a hint of shading to give the elephant a slight 3-Dimension touch.

Lovers of the traditional style of tattoo with appreciate this elephant design, which features a circus elephant, in a standard pose balancing a ball on its head. The forest green, mustard, red and black colour palette is very traditional as are the line work and shading.

Dot work is such a delicate tattooing technique, creating entire tattoos out of black and grey dots. Thousands of dots have been used to create a beautiful landscape of a mother and baby elephant walking together. So beautiful and again could be the perfect commemorative tattoo of a new birth.

There are so many different origami elephant tattoos out there, but this one stood out thanks to the delicate dot work and mandala-inspired line work throughout the design.

Fans of the stars are sure to feel inspired by this beautiful elephant tattoo that features a crisp black outline, dot work shading and a constellation detail making up the elephant ears. Such a unique tattoo design detail, and it is probable that actual constellations can be incorporated.

This is possibly the most adorable baby elephant tattoo there is. The sitting elephant has been coloured and shaded beautifully and features a ‘Day of the Dead’ mask on the lovely little face and trunk. The turquoise blue rose is the perfect finish to such a beautiful design.

This certainly is an elephant tattoo with a difference. The silhouette of the majestic creature has been filled in with a gorgeous lavender and magenta rose design. Soft, feminine and beautiful.

This black and grey elephant tattoo has been lifted with the addition of gorgeous white highlights and a pop of sapphire blue in the eyes and the jewels. The graphic design throughout the tattoo has a distinct henna feel too it, which is just divine and really pretty.

Abstract yet beautiful, this elephant tattoo has been entirely constructed out of flowers of different sizes and shapes. It is a particularly clever touch to use long thin leaves as the tusks. The addition of smart shading and a pale background, prevents the tattoo looking like it is just floating on the skin. A really well rounded design.

New School tattoos are categorised by bold outlines, vibrant use of colour, and exaggerated cartoon-like shapes and characters. This elephant tattoo is a gorgeous new school tattoo – the black outline is sharp and crisp and the colours pack a real punch. A visually stunning tattoo.

The Hamsa hand is an image which symbolises the Hand of God, said to bring the owner luck, health, happiness, and good fortune. The well-recognised image is often used in traditional tattoos and in this case it has been adapted with an elephant design. The use of traditional colour and design features is timeless and beautiful.

The watercolour style of tattoo is increasing in popularity as it is so versatile, offering unique colour options and designs. This elephant tattoo has been given a unique finish with a pain splash effect with vibrant blue and yellow, really popping and contrasting with the black line work.

Your elephant tattoo does not have to be big and bold to be beautiful. This adorable elephant outline is probably no more than a few centimetres across but it is still a lovely little tattoo. A perfect elephant for those who like subtle tattoos that can be easily hidden.

The neo-traditional style of tattoo combines modern design with traditional details. The elephant head features a modern design, but with a heavy black outline seen in traditional tattoos. Traditional decoration has also been added to the background of the tattoo, but in a contemporary blue colour palette. Gorgeous!

This photo-realism design has such a high visual impact as there is so detail and texture in the wrinkly skin. The design is made all the more special with the faded out design, that gives just half an image. So creative.

The pastel purple, pink, and blue of this watercolour elephant tattoo are beautiful, simply a work of art, The colours have been used to give texture to the outline, being particularly effective on the ears.

How straight and crisp are the lines of this geometric elephant tattoo? They are astonishingly precise and the non-symmetrical element of it, makes it so interesting, drawing the eye in. The mandala underneath is a neat touch too.

The illustrative style of tattooing is so free and expressive. There is so much love expressed between the mother and baby elephant in this gorgeous illustration. The floral frame is the perfect finishing touch, with the pops of pink and white.

Cuff tattoos are making a bit of a comeback and thankfully there is no barbed wire in sight. This tribal-inspired cuff tattoo is so wonderful with the silhouette of an adorable elephant family.

Here is another illustrative elephant tattoo, which has a gorgeous rich colour palette, with lavenders and greens beautifully framing the wonderful elephant head. Look at all the life that there is in that single eye – so expressive.

This unique elephant design combines a number of different tattoo styles. The elephant is illustrative and the universe background is a mixture of watercolour and new school. It is colourful and has a great proportion to it. A really beautiful elephant tattoo.

New School designs are usually full of bold and bright colours, but this tattoo is in a completely monochrome palette, which makes it really stand out. It is adorable with those big, shiny eyes and the Indian-inspired patterns are beautiful. Gorgeous!

No list of elephant tattoos would be complete without the addition of everyone’s favourite pachyderm, Dumbo. This tattoo is adorable and bursting with life thanks to vibrant colours and dynamic design.

The bold colours of this watercolour elephant are so eye-catching and vivid. The bright blue of the elephant contrasts beautifully with the pink, orange, and yellow of the flowers, which ties into the beaded detail of the head dress. Divine!

This single line tattoo is so simple yet so effective. It is amazing what a single line of black ink can become, as this lovely elephant tattoo shows.

This elephant tattoo is so unusual and visually stunning. The bold watercolour background is dreamy with splashes of lavender and turquoise. The elephant has been made up panels of lace, which is so different and elegant.

Small and powerful, this elephant tattoo is so simple but so lovely. The body of the elephant is made up of just a few lines and head is a cute little heart. This would make a great best friend, couple, or sisters tattoo, don’t you think?

This Ganesha-inspired tattoo is incredibly intricate and detailed, and is perfectly proportioned to the calf. Tattoos of Ganesha symbolise breaking through obstacles, intellect, and wisdom.