Tattoos are a form of modification to the upper layer of our skin (dermis) where a design is made by the insertion of pigments, ink, and dyes. They can either be temporary or indelible. They are classified into three groups: – symbolic, purely decorative and pictorial.
Meanings and Representation of Roman Numeral Tattoos
Roman Numeral tattoos for men fall under the symbolic group. They normally form a band of characters that is long on your body. These characters are numbers which have been written in Roman. For instance, 5 is written as V in Roman and 1000 as M and so on.
Mostly, they represent dates that pose significance to the individual. Examples of these dates are your wedding anniversary, your birth date or a lucky number. In the case of these tattoos, it is common that men want to put them on their back, collar bone or wrist.
Why Roman Numeral Tattoos for Men are Popular
Sported by Celebrities
Celebrities have more influence on us. When many of the celebrities endorse them, men are likely to imitate them but use their distinctive Roman numerals.
Example, Justin Bieber has a huge numeral tattoo above his chest that indicates the year that his mum was born, I IX VII V (1975). Also, David Beckham has one on the underside of his arm, VII (number 7), that is, the number he played for Manchester United football club.
Various Font Styles and Sizes to Choose From
These types of tattoos have no limitation to the designs because of their numerous styles. In addition to this, you can select from an extensive range of fonts and color which would look best on your skin. Although they are simple to print, they come in various sizes and font styles. This makes them popular.
Unique and Stands Out
It is hard to decide on a design of a tattoo you would like, right? Well, with these tattoos, it is pretty easy to get a print of the tattoo you would like. You will stand out because there are many Roman numerals and you will rarely meet someone with a match similar to yours.
For instance, Justin Bieber could have had a tattoo of his birthday, his girlfriend’s or the number of his favorite number. But his uniqueness came in where he chose his mother’s birthday date.
Creates an Aura of Mystery on Some Occasions
“The less you reveal, the more people wonder”. Few people know how to read the Roman Numerals. This is because they have specific principles that you need to know to be able to interpret them correctly. Lack of this knowledge renders the Roman Numeral tattoos for men mysterious.
Also, for those who can decipher they will still be unaware of the literal meaning for the tattoo unlike with the common pictorial tattoos. This mysterious nature they have makes them popular.
Complements Other Types of Tattoos
These tattoos are versatile in that they can go hand in hand with symbols such as dragons, animals as well as patterns and whirling designs. Their simplicity and combination with these designs make them popular.
Superb Examples of Roman Numeral Tattoos for Men
This tattoo is a traditional lions head with Roman numeral tattoos in the background. It has several different clock gears spinning around it as well. You can tell that the tattoo is done with traditional tattooing and realistic tattooing because of the clear mix of two different styles.
This tattoo takes after the style of the lion and the clock. However it instead leaves out the lion. This is a very traditional looking clock tattoo with Roman numerals on the pocket watch and then gears and more numerals behind it.
The next tattoo featured is a great tattoo idea for guys. The design has a rose in the foreground with Roman numerals circling all the way around it. The clock hands are coming out of the middle of the rose.
This tattoo is of a realistic pocket watch that is breaking at one point. The concept of this is captured extremely well. The Roman numerals that are used here are fading in and out behind the pocket watch which helps to signify the absence of time.
This incredible tattoo takes up this man’s entire arm. It is the perfect Roman numeral tattoos idea. It features a clock with the gears coming in behind it and the clock is lined with the Roman numerals. Around the clock there are designs that also feature the Roman numerals, but larger and cut off in places.
Featured here is a skull with gears for eyes and clock hands coming out of its forehead. It is done in a traditional style with Roman numerals popping out behind it. The skull is also broken at the top and there are gears inside it and around the bottom is swirling smoke.
This particular example of Roman numeral tattoo ideas, was executed perfectly. You have in the middle a pyramid. Light is coming out of the top and bottom and then you have the clock surrounding it. The clock is encircling the pyramid and then some Roman numerals are featured at the bottom.
Here we have one of the great Roman numeral tattoo ideas for men. It has the clock, featuring the Roman numerals, surrounded by these swirls make the clock pop up off the client’s arm. A bit of color is added around the edges, which adds even more pop.
Here we have a bit of a darker tattoo which can be considered one of the amazing tattoos ideas for men. It features the traditional Roman numeral clock but with a lot of dark shading around the hands of the clock. This makes it feel extremely two dimensional and mystical.
Here we have an open pocket watch with Roman numerals on the face of the clock. behind the watch is a lot of shadow that makes the clock pop and then even behind that there are some more Roman numerals.
An open clock watch with a crack in it, with the gears showing behind the crack. This clock has a nice shine to it. There is a shadow behind the clock that adds more dimension. Around the clock are then loads of other symbols as well.
This tattoo is like a spiral staircase that has a Roman numeral of each of the sets of stairs. Above the staircase is a realistic eye looking down on the stairs. The numbers count the stairs going up and it adds a cool dimension to the stairs.
This next tattoo idea takes up this mans entire back. It is a skulls design in the center that then has a clock around it with Roman numerals and then around that it has other numbers. Around the entire thing is then some chains, more skulls and hands holding up the entire design.
This next Roman numeral tattoo design is quite unique. It has a pocket watch that has a chain on it and it is wrapped around a beautiful flower that features just a touch of color. The concept here is very clean and beautifully done.
This design is another skull. This however, is quite different from the others because it has the top of the skull as the main feature, with the face of the clock and the hands of the clock coming out of the top of skull. In this design the face is less noticeable to the rest of the skull.
This watercolor design is extremely beautiful. The clock is featured inside a well done, watercolor piece. The colors of the tattoo extend around all edges of the clock and down one side is more Roman numerals outlined by more watercolor giving the tattoo an all around drippy look.
The main feature of this design is the giant rose on the man’s arm. Then around the rose there are some Roman numerals and featured below it is a pocket clock. It then has small text alongside that says Established in 1989.
This design is much more technical. It is also a pocket watch but it has a much more clockwork look. It looks very realistic while still managing to keep the style of a classic tattoo. This Roman numeral tattoo keeps the classic and unique look all in one.
Say hello to this unique spiral design. The spiral is very unique, it has a three dimensional look that is added because the spiral has shadow behind it. The clock itself is featured in the middle of the spiral with the hands coming out and pointing to nothing.
This clock tattoo has a clock, but it isn’t all shown. It is shadowed out at the top and then the rest is surrounded by a pyramid and out from the darkness at the top of the tattoo flies a lot of birds.
This tattoo design is completely different from all the rest. To start with it is fully in color, unlike the others. To add to that you have a character standing in the tattoo holding up two Roman numeral numbers. Below him you have another guy standing that kind of fades off.
This specific instance of Roman numeral tattoos for men has words overlaid on top of it. It has the number that is cut in half and then through it are the words “Stay Gold” in cursive. The numerals are bold while the other words are not.
This tattoo is really detailed. It has the clock on the man’s chest the has the appearance that they tattoo is in fact going under his skin. The rest of the tattoo shows like his skin is ripped open and underneath he is made on metal like a robot inside.
This Roman numeral tattoo idea has a simpler concept. It features two lines of text. Both bold and in the same style. One sitting on top of the other. It is quite a large tattoo, taking up the man’s entire forearm.
This one case of Roman numeral tattoos for guys is quite romantic and unique. It features two people that have gotten their wedding rings tattooed on their fingers, with the Roman numerals inside the ring. The ring is just two lines with numbers in between that circle the two people’s fingers.
In this Roman numeral tattoo, the main focal point of the image is the highly-detailed human eye–which is done completely in black-and-white ink. Starting from the center of the eye, different Roman numerals have been drawn around it in black ink.
Written in black ink, the image’s focus is on the date that has been drawn in bold letters. Behind it, however, are several detailed feathers that have been shaded with black and white and serve to emphasize the date even more.
Here, this simple Roman numeral tattoo design is done in black ink and printed in large letters on the inner side of the forearm. The symbols, when translated, read as, “5 -19 -62.” There is no additional shading or images–just lettering.
With this specific picture, the small handprint and footprint are shaded in black and gray ink in order to make it look like a real engraving. The name is written sideways in cursive with the date of birth written in Roman numerals.
The letters in this specific case have been designed to form the shape of a large infinity sign. Each number is outlined thinly in black and is shaded with blue, red, or purple to form a spectrum of colors.
Of all the Roman numeral tattoos for guys, this one is highly-detailed. The entire image is done in black-and-white ink and features a compass with the numerals on the side of it. Behind this, there is gray smoke filtering out.
In this case, the large, black numerals have been drawn sideways and split in half–making it hard to read. In this area where they’ve been split, the date, “Thirteen December” has been written in small cursive letters as a translation.
The Roman numeral tattoos idea that is shown here is very minimalistic. The letters, which translate as a certain date, are placed right in the middle of a heart rate line. Both the line and letters are inked in black.
Once again, there is no added shading or details in this particular representation. Instead, the simple composition features just the letters themselves in a large black font and the entire design has been placed at the bottom of the neck.
This geometric style uses both a black outline and a bit of color to draw attention. The line design–which looks like a cluster of boxes–is not shaded except for some blue coloring and the Roman numerals are on the sides.
Similarly, this picture also features a lot of geometric style in it. The black numerals are placed on a line, and behind them are the few outlines of triangles. A highly-detailed image of a coin shaded gray appears at the bottom.
As one of the tattoo ideas for men, the image is highly-detailed. The black-outlined numerals are shaded gray and very large. Behind them are several smaller lines and a curved, intricate frame. On the other side, this is repeated with the letter ‘G’.
For this extremely large composition, the focal point is the skull–which is shaded darkly and inked with extreme detail. Curved at the bottom of the skull, are five Roman numerals that alternate between being shaded black and being shaded red.
The classic representation here is inked in all black. There are two separate dates written in Roman numerals which are positioned on top of one another. Beside them is the letter ‘A’ drawn twice and overlapping in two different fonts.
Of all the Roman numeral tattoo ideas, this one definitely has its own style. The letters are inked in black with white highlights, and there is one red letter which is drawn larger and the gray shading in the background emphasizes this.
As one of the popular tattoos ideas, there is nothing to look at but the actual letters themselves–which are done in black–and the bold font that they have been drawn in. This choice makes the entire composition look clean cut.
As a particular case of Roman numeral tattoos for men, this image is striking and draws attention. The numerals, which are done inked in white, are placed on top of two solid black bands that are thick and wrap around the arm.
Instead of using a black outline, the picture is shaded in varying levels of gray to make it look realistic. A clock–with the numerals on the sides–is surrounded by two, large roses which are also only shaded in black-and-white ink.
The simple, black lettering drawn here is done sideways on the rib cage. The numerals are extremely large, and look as if they have been stretched upward and clustered together. There is no extra shading added into the image, either.
Here, this smaller representation is done completely in black ink. The letters translate into a specific date, and above them is a name that corresponds to it. The name is inked in a cursive font and written tinier as well.
Of the Roman numeral tattoos out there, this one is fairly discreet. The minimalistic black letters are positioned on the side of the forearm, and the periods that are placed between some of the letters indicate that it is a date.
Despite being just lettering, these black inked numerals are drawn in a very stylized way. The black outline also contains quite a few white highlights as well and there are no straight lines–each letter has curves and waves to it.
By utilizing dark and light shadows, these letters appear almost 3-D. Not only are the numerals written in a curvy and stylized way, but the light and darker gray shading in the background also gives them a certain depth too.
Although it is just the letters themselves without any additional shading or pictures, these Roman numerals have been drawn in a way with black ink to make them resemble a circle. The design’s simplicity is what actually makes it a much more discreet choice.
In this case, the numerals have been inked in black and drawn sideways. Truly, however, the focal point of the image is the cross–which has been done completely in black–and is positioned beside the letters. Because of the lack of shading, the letters and cross look very minimalistic.