Fans Told The List Which Type Of Tattoo Was Their Favorite - Exclusive Survey

The practice of tattooing can be traced back more than 5,000 years. According to Smithsonian magazine, tattoos "have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment" across numerous different cultures throughout history. Tattoos started to become more common in the 1800s when sailors, artists, and socialites alike began seeing them as legitimately fashionable and cool, per Time.

While tattoos once had a reputation for being deviant and dangerous, nowadays they're extremely common. According to Psychology Today, "38 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo." If you're thinking about getting a tattoo, you might want to consider which style and designs you like before going for it. To find out which styles people are rating, The List conducted a survey that asked 587 respondents, "Which is your favorite type of tattoo?" 

According to The List's survey, the most popular type of tattoo, with 37.14% of the vote, is a minimalist tattoo. According to Chosen Art Tattoo, minimalist tattoos use thin lines and negative space to create smaller, more simplistic designs. These designs can range from the popular infinity symbol to dainty jewelry and even tiny outlines of animals. Most minimalist tattoos use black ink or very subtle colors to create a design that doesn't draw too much attention.

In second place with 19.59% of the vote are floral tattoos. Flowers are one of the most popular tattoos around, ranging from a single rose to an entire bouquet. For sentimental types, flower designs can carry special meaning, per Inked magazine. For instance, lotus flowers symbolize purity, lilies represent modesty, and roses signify love. Birth flower tattoos, which represent the month in which someone was born, have also risen in popularity in recent years (via PopSugar).

Elsewhere, 18.06% of survey respondents revealed that their favorite type of tattoo is a permanent word or phrase, while another 9.71% love the look of complex line art. Tattoos that use geometric designs (7.67%) and negative space (7.84%) were also among the favorites, proving that there are plenty of trendy designs to consider when getting inked. 

Contrary to popular belief, tattoos don't need to have significant meaning. Lots of people choose their tattoos simply because they like the look of them. But tattoo regret is a real thing, which can lead to getting tattoo mistakes covered up later in life. According to a survey conducted by Advanced Dermatology, a whopping 78% of people regret at least one of their tattoos. 

Some admitted that they were too young when they first got them, while others felt their personality had changed and they no longer resonated with the design as a result. Matching tattoos with someone or tattooing an ex's name was another big regret among the 600 respondents. The most common designs that people regretted getting, in order of most popular, were tribal tattoos, hearts, roses, stars, inspirational quotes, and crosses. 

Per The Conversation, most people with tattoo regret feel they made the decision on a whim and wish they would have thought more about it. Before you commit to a tattoo, take some time to consider how you might feel about the design 10 years from now. Find an artist whose style you like, who you also trust to take their time and tattoo you safely. If you're on the fence, consider which tattoo designs will hold up to the test of time. You can also try out a design with made-to-fade tattoos if you're not ready to commit just yet.