17 Tattoos That Celebrate the Beauty of Adoption

Adoption is one of the most beautiful things in this life. Like having a child and growing a family, when done with good intentions it can change a person's life — both parent and the adoptee. Sometimes it happens as a child and sometimes as an adult, but like others, those folks may want a tattoo to celebrate that part of their story and who they are.

Whether it's the person who was adopted who wants a tattoo or the parents or siblings who brought that person into the family, there are tons of adoption tat ideas out there that fit anyone's taste — and honor the adoption bond. From different iterations of the adoption symbol to tree roots, quotes, and elephants, these are the adoption inspo those in the community can look to.

Accepted Script

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joeyces_art/Instagram

A stereotype of adoptees is that someone didn't want them, but they, and the rest of us know, that isn't accurate. Someone did want them and it's the family who they call their own. That's what makes this tattoo that says "Accepted" so special.

Adoption Symbol With Angel Wings

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miss_murphy93/Instagram

Angel wings are big in the tattoo community. They symbolize an ethereal goodness, or/and spirituality. Combine that with the adoption symbol and one gets a spiritual tattoo that's an ode to adoption. This one also has a quote along with it, too.

Minimalist

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murdernurse/Instagram

Simple, or minimalist tattoos, are gaining popularity, with celebrities getting "fine point" creations and this adoption symbol tattoo shows this. The clean lines and simple black-and-white color scheme could go anywhere on the body.

Handwritten Notes

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brihaug/Instagram

Another tattoo trend — and also a really cute idea — is taking handwritten notes from loved ones and getting them recreated as tattoos on the body. This tattoo takes a kid's note thanking his dad for adopting him and turns it into art. Parents of adoptees can do this, as can kids who have their parents' signatures on their adoption papers, for example.

Matching Tattoos

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Ink Ink/Instagram

Matching tattoos like these are super fun and the perfect way to physically and outwardly express one's bond with another person who understands them so well. Get one with an adopted sibling or one that is between a parent and an adopted child.

Birth Country Shape

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bunnyukahk/Instagram

A really cool way to honor an adopted child's birth country, or for them to honor their own, is to teach them about it. Another way is to get a cool tattoo of the country, either as a solid mass or just the outline like this one does here.

Adoption Quote

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raebaetattoo/Instagram

People who love quotes really love quotes, and that's OK. Mixing meaningful words with beautiful images really brings the message home. A quote tattoo is a way to show off those written feelings to the world. This adoption tattoo quote says, "I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you."

Child & Globe

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inked.rhi/Instagram

Adoption can be domestic or international — there are so many kids who need a loving family. That is why we love this character tattoo of a small girl holding a globe balloon, along with an adoption month and year. It's a creative way to show off an adoption.

Chosen Tattoo

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cody_camp/Instagram

One of the most special aspects of adoption is that fact that the adopted child didn't just happen to belong the family who adopted them, but they chose that child. They chose to love the child and that is so meaningful in a world where so many children are neglected or abused. That's what makes this "Chosen" tattoo extra special.

Elephant Family

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karoline.ink/Instagram

When searching for adoption tattoo inspiration, a lot of elephants came up, like this one. Not just single elephants, though, elephant families. It makes sense. Elephants stick together through thick and thin, and so do adoptive families.

Matching Feathers

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jennalhatfield/Instagram

Feathers are cool looking and are classic tattoo designs. Turning feathers into a concept for a coordinating adoption tattoo makes them even cooler. The colors make the tattoos here with the colors in complementary patterns.

Adoption Date

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nebraska_jellybeans/Instagram

Dates are a big deal to a lot of people. There's birth dates, anniversary dates, holidays, and more. Adoption dates are important, too, and that is why they make an awesome tattoo. They can go along with symbols, too, like these matching tattoos.

Colorful Adoption Symbol

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kika_blunt/Instagram

Like in the feather tattoo, colors can really add meaning, as well as beauty, to a tattoo. This tattoo takes the adoption symbol and adds colors to it that are also all intertwined visually.

Fancy Adoption Symbol

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stevenjessee/Instagram

Maybe plain isn't the style one would want for a tattoo. Symbols can have all sorts of fonts, or, line style in their own right and this tattoo (and coloring) of the adoption symbol is a lovely example of that. It resembles a musical note, even.

Tree Roots

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bulldogcustomtattooin/Instagram

Tree roots are super symbolic and a meaningful way to visually represent adoption as a tattoo. That is what this tree root tattoo does and it serves as inspo for those who want an adoption tattoo represented with or as nature.

Shaded Heart Adoption Symbol

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photogapher_momf3/Instagram

For simple but with a little extra oomph we recommend the classic black-ink adoption symbol tattoo, but like this one, include a a pop of color through shading. Here, the pink makes the shape of the heart really stand out.

Flower Heart

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briwalkertattoos/Instagram

Love flowers? Love tattoo flowers? Yes, it's possible to have an adoption tattoo and flowers worked into the design together as one piece of body art like this one. Pick the flower and colors and blend it in the background of the symbol for extra special meaning.