Tattoos have become increasingly prevalent in the last decade. According to a 2019 poll by Ipsos, 30% of Americans have at least one tattoo. That’s up from 21% in 2012. While popular tattoo patterns include flowers, dragons, skulls, and “tribal” designs, a particularly fashionable ink category is animals. From frogs to jellyfish to hummingbirds and even dinosaurs, people are wild for animal tattoos. (Tattoos, temporary or not, were embraced by at least some actors who made major body transformations for roles.)
To identify America’s 25 most popular animal tattoos, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the annual search volume and Instagram hashtags for specific animal tattoos published by All About Cats, which used Google Keyword Planner to track searches on animal tattoos from June 2021 to July 2022.
Click here to see America’s most popular animal tattoos
Animal tattoos can carry a number of meanings. Some people may feel drawn to a particular type of creature and wish to project or embody an aspect of its personality. Snake tattoos, for example, can represent rebirth after the shedding of one’s skin, while wolf tattoos can portray self-reliance, and elephants may characterize strength or wisdom.
Some tattoos might not symbolize an aspect of a creature’s character, but simply represent a favorite animal or display an exquisite design from a favorite tattoo artist. Images of dogs and cats are both popular. (Here are America’s most popular dogs.)
25. Bull
> US annual search volume: 156,600
> Global annual search volume: 355,200
> Instagram hashtags: 26,700
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24. Deer
> US annual search volume: 165,400
> Global annual search volume: 361,200
> Instagram hashtags: 156,000
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23. Fish
> US annual search volume: 169,600
> Global annual search volume: 380,600
> Instagram hashtags: 193,000
Source: guenterguni / iStock via Getty Images
22. Gorilla
> US annual search volume: 173,500
> Global annual search volume: 337,200
> Instagram hashtags: 43,000
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Source: ilbusca / DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images
21. Fox
> US annual search volume: 178,900
> Global annual search volume: 449,000
> Instagram hashtags: 258,000
20. Frog
> US annual search volume: 187,200
> Global annual search volume: 306,700
> Instagram hashtags: 113,000
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Source: walbyent / iStock via Getty Images
19. Dinosaur
> US annual search volume: 198,100
> Global annual search volume: 358,800
> Instagram hashtags: 87,100
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18. Jellyfish
> US annual search volume: 213,700
> Global annual search volume: 341,900
> Instagram hashtags: 74,600
17. Turtle
> US annual search volume: 301,300
> Global annual search volume: 512,400
> Instagram hashtags: 134,000
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16. Shark
> US annual search volume: 316,100
> Global annual search volume: 554,600
> Instagram hashtags: 206,000
15. Bear
> US annual search volume: 365,400
> Global annual search volume: 709,000
> Instagram hashtags: 163,000
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Source: zhobla91 / iStock via Getty Images
14. Dog
> US annual search volume: 372,500
> Global annual search volume: 820,500
> Instagram hashtags: 553,000
13. Spider
> US annual search volume: 377,400
> Global annual search volume: 744,500
> Instagram hashtags: 186,000
Source: SzymonBartosz / Getty Images
12. Eagle
> US annual search volume: 394,300
> Global annual search volume: 1,331,000
> Instagram hashtags: 358,000
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11. Bee
> US annual search volume: 411,600
> Global annual search volume: 801,500
> Instagram hashtags: 193,000
Source: 50504703@N00 / Flickr
10. Cat
> US annual search volume: 415,100
> Global annual search volume: 1,003,500
> Instagram hashtags: 825,000
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Source: kaisersosa67 / iStock via Getty Images
9. Bird
> US annual search volume: 456,700
> Global annual search volume: 1,203,000
> Instagram hashtags: 707,000
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Source: DikkyOesin / iStock via Getty Images
8. Tiger
> US annual search volume: 496,900
> Global annual search volume: 1,495,000
> Instagram hashtags: 915,000
Source: Martin-Kubik / iStock via Getty Images
7. Owl
> US annual search volume: 564,100
> Global annual search volume: 1,056,000
> Instagram hashtags: 661,000
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6. Hummingbird
> US annual search volume: 578,300
> Global annual search volume: 774,000
> Instagram hashtags: 121,000
5. Elephant
> US annual search volume: 604,100
> Global annual search volume: 1,059,000
> Instagram hashtags: 412,000
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Source: Andyworks / Getty Images
4. Wolf
> US annual search volume: 927,500
> Global annual search volume: 2,349,000
> Instagram hashtags: 992,000
Source: thewildtattoo / Flickr
3. Lion
> US annual search volume: 944,000
> Global annual search volume: 2,466,000
> Instagram hashtags: 1,200,000
Source: fpphotobank / iStock via Getty Images
2. Snake
> US annual search volume: 1,110,500
> Global annual search volume: 2,637,000
> Instagram hashtags: 1,100,000
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Source: claudio.arnese / E+ via Getty Images
1. Butterfly
> US annual search volume: 2,966,000
> Global annual search volume: 5,472,000
> Instagram hashtags: 1,200,000
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