A sun tattoo design can symbolize a wide variety of concepts, from beginning a new life or emerging from a dark place or situation to widely popular ideas and beliefs such as truth, light, warmth, and positivity.

With the sun being so central to all life on Earth, it’s long been a tattoo subject associated with divinity in the religions and cultures of all continents. The sun has been worshipped by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Ancient Egyptians, just to name a few.

The sun’s relationship with the moon tattoo design is also a popular feature of various ink cultures, as is the idea of enlightenment, rebirth, and re-commitment, or the growth of something fresh and new from the remnants of a previous experience.

Sun tattoo meaning is complex and interesting whether you apply a historical symbolic lens or look at your tattoo idea from a more contemporary perspective. This article will demonstrate some of the main concepts applied to sun-related ink and related imagery, from small sun tattoo art design to larger new wave symbolic meaning.

Symbolic Sun Tattoo Design Ideas

1. Sun Tattoo Meanings

Source: @cesar_merca2 via Instagram

The sun symbol can mean anything from beginning a new life to coming out of a dark place or situation, moving into light, warmth, and positivity. The sun is also linked with truth. 

It’s the basis for many creation stories across cultures due to the sun’s ability to help most living organisms grow and prosper. A sun tattoo can be paired with countless other images to transform their message.

Depending on what you pair it with, the meaning will change, and sometimes drastically.

2. The Sun Through History and Culture

In ancient times, the sun was viewed as a god and worshipped by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. For the Ancient Greeks, it’s often associated with the eye of the god Zeus.