170+ Cool Skeleton Hand Tattoos Designs With Meanings (2024)

Skeleton hand tattoos branched out from tattoo designs inspired by Human anatomy. It is an irony that Human being will ink their exterior body because they want to their interior body parts. However, this trend is not new. We have already covered how anatomical heart tattoo designs are gaining popularity.

On this page, we will cover all the cool and beautiful skeleton hand tattoos that you can get inked on your physique. Before we dive into the huge photo gallery of 170+ designs let us first clear you about the significance and meaning of a skeleton hand tattoo.

Human beings are fascinated with their interior anatomy since the dawn of time. However, it was during the Greek philosopher’s era that we started to learn about the structural symmetry and the link of each body part with our brain. Hands were the first body part that was thoroughly examined by Greek biologists.

The Skeleton of the hand has a total of 27 bones. You can take a look at the X-ray of a normal hand so that you can understand how your skeleton hand tattoos should look like. Most tattoo artists either avoid the eight carpal bones of the wrist or show only two bones instead of 8. This is to make the tattoo look less complicated and confusing.

There is no denying the fact that hands played a vital role in our evolution. If we did not have hands we might not have dominated and ruled the planet. Therefore, it was not a surprise to see that Skeleton hand tattoos were the most popular choice after skull tattoos.

Skeleton Hand Tattoos Meanings

There can be several different meanings of skeleton hand tattoos. Here are some of the most popular ones –

Afterlife – A Skeleton hand represented a loss in ancient Aztec culture. The tribal men and women would often keep the skeleton hand of their dead relatives in remembrance. This reason might not inspire you to get a skeleton hand tattoo but you can link your tattoo with the afterlife.

No Discrimination – Racism is one of the biggest social issues that is plaguing us since forever. We divide people based on their race, color, religion, and region. We often forget that beneath all these discriminating points we are just a moving nervous system that is supported by our skeleton.

A Skeleton hand tattoo would signify that you do not believe in racism. It will imply that you do not judge people based on their choices or their ‘social tags’.

Family – Another unique meaning of a Skeleton hand tattoo is that it represents family. The thumb is the leader of the family while the fingers are the supporting members. The whole family has to work together to do even a basic task.

Many people choose skeleton hand tattoos as they want them to dedicate to their family members. You can do the same especially if you have a family of five members.

Rebellious – Usually a Skeleton tattoo or a skull tattoo represents a rebel attitude. It shows that you are bad to the bone and you do not care about what people or society thinks. You play by your own rules and take control of your own hands.

Self-Efficacy – A Skeleton hand tattoo will also represent that you have faith in yourself. You believe that your luck is in your own hands. It is a skeleton hand so it shows that you do not believe in palm lines or astrology.

Fearless – It will also represent that you are not afraid to lose anything. The skeleton hand will represent that it has no external protection or cover. Similarly, you too have no external support but you are accepting and wearing this fact like a fearless warrior.

Skeleton hand tattoo placement

It would be a stupid choice to place a skeleton hand on anywhere else other than the hand itself. Some people still choose body parts like arms or chest or even thighs to get inked with a skeleton hand but I would strongly advise you to get it done on your hand.

Take a look at these 170+ cool skeleton hand tattoo designs for men and women