While the number 13 is associated with bad luck in Sailor Jerry’s world of “squares,” it is the opposite for tattoo lovers. 

The unlucky number is treated as an antidote to conventional bad luck and identifier to other ink enthusiasts. The number 13 is associated with superstitious sailors, prison gangs and outlaws, and old school concepts of alienation and being an outsider. 

The following article delves further into the mystery, history and continuing popularity of number 13 tattoos. 

What does the number 13 tattoo mean? 

There are a couple of motivations for the number 13 being considered lucky for a tattoo artist and their clientele. According to Trent Aitken-Smith’s Tattoo Dictionary, “if bad luck came your way and saw the number 13 tattooed on you, it would assume you already had enough misfortune and pass you by.”

Another school of thought tied to superstition believes that a traditional bad luck symbol tattoo cancels out the negatives and reverses the meaning, while many prison inmates and gang members from Southern California, and outlaw bikers wear the 13 as a badge of alienation from traditional society. 

Image: Tony Alter CC BY 2.0 

Sailor Superstition

 

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Flash tattoos sheets featuring the number 13, or even the lucky 13, are some of the oldest types of traditional tattoo art you’ll find. Number 13 tattoos hearken back to the old school era of Western tattooing, when most individuals getting inked were sailors or navy men getting a daredevil tattoo. 

Just as it is claimed above by Aitken Smith, if you had a 13 tattoo you were a person looking to turn the tide against conventional luck that says 13, and the date Friday the 13th are unlucky.

Judas Iscariot was the 13th disciple of Jesus. The Knights Templar were disbanded on Friday, May 13, 1307, and the Mayans thought the 13th month on their lunar calendar led to apocalypse.