14 Very Personal Celebrity Tattoos, Full of Hidden Meaning

Same like us, regular people, celebrities often use tattoos as a means of self-expression, making them an integral part of their image, or even paying homage to a person or an event with their body art. Fans have always had a genuine interest in their idols’ tattoos. And though some celebrities try not to show them off, considering them a very intimate thing, others don’t hold back, talking openly about their importance.

Here at CHEERY, we did some research and found out the hidden meanings behind celebrities’ tattoos. The stories behind them are, in some cases, worthy of a prize of their own.

Carey Mulligan

A miniature seagull tattoo once helped the actress land a role in Steve McQueen’s Shame. During her audition for the role of Sissy, Mulligan said she saw some similarities between this character, and the character in the play The Seagull, Nina, who she played in a Broadway production in 2008.

The star also mentioned that she wants to get a tattoo in the shape of a seagull in honour of Nina. The director was so taken with the idea, that he ended up giving Mulligan the role. Plans for the tattoo, also, soon came to fruition.

Kaley Cuoco and Zosia Mamet

The actresses met at an audition for the series The Flight Attendant and immediately hit it off. Kaley felt so comfortable around her future co-star, that at one point she “booped” her on the nose. “It became a thing, and then we did it all the time”, recalls the Big Bang Theory star.

In April 2022, Cuoco and Mamet decided to immortalise their friendship and got matching tattoos with the word “boop” on their arms.

Dax Shepard

Instead of a wedding ring, the actor got a bell-shaped tattoo on his ring finger in honour of wife Kristen Bell. “I don’t like wearing jewelry, but I felt obliged to warn all the men that I’m taken,” Shepard joked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I thought a tattoo would be fitting. And her last name, conveniently, is an object I could tattoo.” The bell also features the letters K, L and D — the initials of the actor’s wife and daughters Lincoln and Delta.

Chrissy Teigen

Last year, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s daughter graduated from pre-school. To mark the occasion, the model decided to get a tattoo of the pattern Luna drew that day. “Luna drew this butterfly on me today and it seemed fitting to make it permanent. A little imperfect, a little messy, but hell she’s here to stay,” revealed the model.

Justin Bieber

The singer believes it’s never too late to become the best version of yourself, a notion he has decided to commemorate on his body. “I look back at a lot of things in my life, mistakes, insecurities, and although I have felt I’ve been wasting a lot of time it also makes me want to be better faster! For me personally, I want to work everyday to be BETTER AT 70,” Bieber captioned a photo of his leg tattoo.

Brooke Shields

The star came up with an unconventional way to congratulate her eldest daughter on her graduation, at the same time expressing her love and immortalising the close bond between them. Brooke Shields and Rowan got matching ladybird tattoos. “A special graduation gift and memory with my girl. I’m so proud of you, I love you more than words can say,” the celeb captioned the photo straight out of the tattoo parlour.

Orlando Bloom

In February 2020 the actor got a touching tattoo of his son Flynn — the name written in Morse code on his forearm. But, he made a mistake. Fans noticed that the name was misspelled: instead of “Flynn” it deciphered as “Frinn”.

A few days later, Bloom boasted an updated tattoo, this time without the mistake. “Finally dot it right! How do you make a mistake like that?”

Jennifer Aniston

On the actress’ left wrist, you can spot two numbers “11”. For Aniston, these numbers have a sacred meaning. 11 is the day she was born (February 11), but it also relates to her dog Norman, who passed away in 2011. Jennifer’s best friend, Andrea Bendewald, also has a similar tattoo on her wrist.

Ed Sheeran

The British singer has decided to pay tribute to Australian music industry icon Michael Gudinski. Sheeran, along with Gudinski’s son and son-in-law, got a tattoo on his right hand in the shape of a raised index finger — Gudinski’s trademark gesture.

Pink

The singer has a barcode tattoo on the back of her neck. It contains some of the most important numbers in Pink’s life: the star’s birthday, the release date of her album “Missundaztood” and her personal lucky number 13. “I like to put 13 songs on my record. It’s my lucky number. I had my first kiss on Friday the 13th in a graveyard,” the singer revealed in an interview.

Billie Eilish

The singer has several tattoos on her body. When asked by fans which one is her favourite, Eilish said the most recent is the three fairies around her left wrist. The singer called them her little guardian angels and said they were characters from her favourite children’s book.

Lucy Hale

The actress had a self-hugging, heart-shaped silhouette tattooed on her arm as a symbol of her self-love. Hale shared the image with her fans on the occasion of Valentine’s Day. “Soo here’s the deal... I got this tattoo recently as a symbol of self love. And that’s what this last year has been about... Being alone (but not lonely), not settling and truly finding my inner light & loving who I am”, was the star’s caption for the photo.

Selena Gomez

The star’s back is adorned with a large rose — almost identical to that of her close friend Cara Delevingne. According to Gomez, the tattoo has multiple meanings to her, with the first one symbolising a close bond and friendship with Delevingne. “She calls me Rosebud so it’s a nickname. And I’ve always wanted a rose and now I got one, and I love it”, said Selena, sharing the backstory behind the tattoo.

Adele

The singer has the words “Angelo” and “Paradise” tattooed on her hands. Together they symbolize that her son Angelo is her heaven. Interestingly enough, singer Lana Del Rey has a similar tattoo with the word “Paradise” on her hand, but Adele only found this out after she got hers. “She probably thinks I’m, like, some mad fangirl. I mean, I am a Lana fangirl, but not a crazy one,” Adele joked.

Do you have any tattoos? And if so, do any of them have a personal meaning?