100 Mother Son Tattoos – Matching Tattoo Ideas

Mother son tattoos are so excellent because they showcase the special bond shared between a mother and her son. These matching tattoos and complimentary tattoos are unique symbols of familial love. They range from funny and cute to deeply profound and touching.

We wanted to get a better sense of the mother son tattoos families are getting so we searched through recently shared images to get an idea of the types of designs found within this ink genre. We were pleasantly surprised to discover the range of mother son tattoos and just how tender they truly are. We found 100 designs to share with you!

Check Out These Mother Son Tattoos!

Lots of Love

“I love you mama” and the response, “I love you more,” form the subject of these complimentary mother son tattoos. The designs are complete with matching bird tattoos.

Hakuna Matata

“It means no worries for the rest of your days,” Timon and Pumbaa sing in The Lion King. We found matching symbols here signifying the phrase on the wrists of a mother and her son. Subtle and cute!

Stormtroopers

We 100% did not expect to find Star Wars mother son tattoos, but we should have known better! This pair got stormtroopers together. What a choice!

Lots of Life

Here we find a very ornately designed word, “life” tattooed in different sizes but maintaining the same shape. Mom chose to add some color while her son left his all black.

Mama Bear & Cub

How sweet are these mother son tattoos? We find a forest setting framed in the back of a mama bear who is walking alongside her cub. If you and your mom and son both love nature, you could do no better!

They Just Fit

This mother and her son really wanted to get a point across. We have puzzle pieces that fit together with imagery of a key and a lock which also fit together. We got it! It’s sweet.

Phoenix in the Family

If you and your son or mother share a “go bold or go home” sort of mentality, these giant Phoenix back tattoos might be something worth considering. According to the artist that shared these images, the son got all black ink while mom went for more vibrant color.

Each Other’s Guide

We find matching compasses in these mother son tattoos. The design also includes a meaningful reference to a Bible verse this family holds dear.

Love, Forever Knot

Two hears and an infinity symbol form these creative and intricate-looking tattoos. For mother son tattoos, there is a trend of mom getting colorful ink while son opts for black and grey.

Mama Bears Are It

More mama bears! We love this cute mother and her son who got these handsome, matching bear tattoos.

Boo Bears!

We’re having a bear moment here. Here’s a ghostly bear. This could be a reference to something but the person who shared it offered few details. Our best guess is that these are “boo bears.”

Surf’s Up!

This mother and her son must both enjoy time spent in the ocean. If you and your mom or son surf together or engage in another activity often, consider it as inspiration for your mother son tattoos.

Promises

The tattoo artist took a picture of this mom and her son doing a pinky promise and then tattooed their likeness on their forearms. One says “No matter what. The other, “No matter where.”

Strength

“Only the strong survive,” is the message of these two tattoo designs that showcase this mother and her son’s faith. Mom chose to lighten things up a bit with the addition of some flowers.

To the Moon and Back

These mother son tattoos are the perfect representation of the phrase, “Love you to the moon and back.” We find a heart and part of Earth paired next to what looks like the surface of the moon. Clever!

Love You Can Count On

“Because of her, I will not fall,” the son’s tattoo says while moms reads, “For him, I will fight them all.” The tattoos match up when placed next to one another, creating a perfect circle of text.

Dot-Work Hearts

Dot-work tattoos are so interesting to look at and harken back to the oldest forms of tattooing. We love these hearts. One is filled with tiny dots while the other is a solid outline.

Chip Off the Old Pot

Ms. Potts and her son chip are the subjects of these mother son tattoos. The splashes of color look so ethereal!

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Feather & Arrow

We find a feather and arrow in both of these matching tattoos. The artist has paid a ton of attention to detail making these tattoos appear truly fine. Find yourself a tattoo artist you trust and you will get great results like these.

Believe

For these mother son tattoos, the pair have gone with black and white ink roses with the word “believe” worked into the stems of the flowers. We hope they believe in one another!

Calipers

Did you expect to see calipers in these mother son tattoos? We were pleasantly surprised. Truly excellent things happen when you think outside the box and go your own way. We encourage you to do the same!

Doodles

This mom and her son got childhood doodles tattooed on themselves. We think it’s slightly weird but very, very sweet.

Land & Sea

How sharp do these two tattoos look? Small tattoos are a great option if one of you wants something understated (and not a lot of commitment).

Ambigrams

What you are looking at are ambigrams created by the son. He and his mother do not share the same last name so they smashed up their surnames to look the same. A creative way to go, no doubt!

Black Rose

Wow! These might be some of the most dramatic mother son tattoos on the list. These designs are very original and the fact that one comes from the other is a tender thought.

Matching Swallows

You can always go with a classic! Swallows have been a mainstay of traditional tattoos for decades as sailors used to get them to show their sailing experience. This mother and son chose wisely.

11/11

The person who shared this image shared that the number 11 is meaningful to both mother and son. They even got the tattoo on 11/11 at 11:11. Can you say commitment?

Harpers

If you have a family crest or any sort of imagery that’s meaningful for your family, you can always go this route. These bold harps are rather neat!

More Mother Son Tattoos!

After All This Time?

“After all this time? Always” The text beneath these Harry Potter tattoos reads. For mother son tattoos, anything is fair game as long as it’s done for love.

Roots

We find two matching trees here with the roots showing. We wonder if these trees came from a children’s picture book or cartoon. Something about them is so nostalgic.

PB&J

Peanut butter and jelly is a match made in heaven. We love the idea of little pieces of bread that fit together. The addition of the little hearts is lovely as well.

Olive Branches

Okay, so we are straying a touch with this one. These olive branch tattoos belong to a mother, her son, and her daughter. Fun for the whole fam! We are impressed with how fine the lines are here.

Special Date

Need to a save a special date? Do it in Roman numerals for a bold, classic, mother son tattoo.

Pisces

If you and your mother or son share the same birth sign, astrology tattoos are totally a fun thing you can share. Look how excellent these two fish, symbolizing Pisces, look together.

Cheesy A’s

Cheese is always the answer! Mother son tattoos do not have to be at all serious. If you’re not taking yourself too seriously, express yourself however you want. These two wedges of cheese are very fun!

Plants!

Does that green thumb run in the family? These mother son tattoos of potted plants is just so cute.

Little Bit of Luck

Want to celebrate your Irish heritage together? These two shamrocks on the wrists are a great way to do it.

V

You can go all minimal with your mother son tattoos. These understated V’s look fantastic. Bold, black, and subtle, you will be surprised how impactful a simple letter can be.

Paradise Mother Son Tattoos

Does your family love spending time at the beach? How about on a mountain? Wherever your happy place is, consider tattoos that will transport you there.

What Distance?

How clever are these tattoo designs? The mountains represent distance which can never truly separate this mother and son.

Abstract & Fun

Mother son tattoos can be anything you want them to be. If that means getting abstract shapes with little dots in them, you better go for it. Look how great these turned out!

Giving Tree

Here we find a drawing from the biggest tearjerking children’s book ever written, The Giving Tree. It’s even more poignant that these tattoos belong to a mother and her son.

Birds of a Feather

Mother son tattoos do not have to be in your face. In fact, you and your mom or son might get more from something that matches but does not necessarily scream
“I’m a mama’s boy!!!”

Black Rose Mother Son Tattoos

These black roses are certainly big on mood. Placement in a similar area is a common practice, but feel free to do what’s best for your mother son tattoos.

Be Different

See? “It’s good to be different.” We have 100% confidence that this mother taught her son not to be afraid to stand out from the pack.

Howl

Here are some howling wolves that express a shared love for wildlife. How fun is the very smoke-grey, ombre effect?

You Are My Sunshine

A tattoo artist who excels at very fine lines like this are true artists. These sun-filled waves are certainly stunning.

Standing Tall

For their mother son tattoos, this duo got one big tree next to one that’s smaller. Metaphors rooted in nature are perfect for these types of tattoos.

G.O.A.T.’s

A goat and a bird? Why not! Some of the stranger mother son tattoos we found can be seen in the above image. We have no idea what’s going on but we love them!

Keep It Skeletal

It’s peace and rock for this mother and her son. If you’ve got a metal mama or you are, yourself, a metal mama, do what you do best.

Yeehaw!

We find a pair of cowboy hats with the word “Yeehaw!” written below each. To each their own!

Penguins!

How cute are these puffy penguins? One looks like a mom and the other like her chick. If you came for the penguin content, we delivered!

Lots of Love

“Mom, I love you!” one tattoo says while the other responds, “I love you more!” We like when tattoos are done in the other person’s handwriting for these mother son tattoos. It adds such a personal touch.

Always Have the Same Moon

Okay! We find some ornate crescent moons that compliment one another. These quirky designs are really beautiful and I bet this mom and her son enjoy sharing such statement pieces.

Hams

Is mom a ham? Is son a ham too? Then, ham mother son tattoos are in order. Ham it up!

Good Ideas!

Micro tattoos are another smart way to go if you are not looking for something that is “too much.” These two light bulb tattoos on the ankles will be easy to hide and will look sharp once they’ve healed.

Bee Matching Mother Son Tattoos

Looking for buzz-worthy mother son tattoos? Go with the bumblebees! Look at all the tiny details the artist has included in these matching bee designs. Remarkable!

Handpoked Goodness

These mother son tattoos were done without a machine in a process called stick and poke. These abstract circles are each different in their own way but it’s clear that both are meant to look like the other. Very cool!

The Only Holiday

This mother and son know what’s up! Halloween is THE holiday and that’s not up for debate. They both got ghosts with the text “Forever Halloween.”

Heartbeat Mother Son Tattoos

We find a mother son tattoos connected by the pulse of a heartbeat. Done in just black, it’s clear the point this pair is trying to get across.

A Couple of Fish

For your mother son tattoos turn to the sea for inspiration. We find two dazzling fish tattoos that really look fantastic side-by-side but will not look lonely whenever this pair is apart.

Pooh & Piglet

How cute are these little characters? Most of us enjoyed their company as children so it’s fitting that they have inspired some really great tattoos.

Up, Up, & Away

By far, one of the most popular mother son tattoos comes in the form of a quote from Toy Story. “To infinity and beyond” is a common phrase tattooed on many mothers and their sons.

Shared Wanderlust

If you’re a mother and daughter pair who both have a deep appreciation for nature, you very well may love tattoos like these. We find a bear and an eagle filled with a mountain landscape. How beautiful!

Painted Hearts

Another popular tattoo scheme comes in the form of a heart that appears to be cut out from another design. Watercolor tattoos are a huge trend today so it’s natural for us to see several examples on this list.

A Shared Heart

Here’s an interesting concept that holds so much meaning. In these mother son tattoos, we find two characters locked in an embrace that forms multiple hearts. Work with a tattoo artist with an eye for design and you could walk away with something equally as creative.

Over the Moon

Similar to the bear and eagle tattoos, we find two crescent moons filled with a landscape. The arrow is a nice touch that helps the overall designs feel balanced.

Right Through the Heart

The tattoo artist really nailed these matching mother son tattoos. We find a dagger through a heart that contains a scene of a mother holding her child. The traditional elements of these tattoos really look timeless.

Mom & Bub

Here’s a pair of tattoos that are tributes to Pink Floyd. If you are a mother and son duo who share a love for a certain band, why not celebrate it?

Pride Runs In the Family

We find two Pride swords for this mother and son. We love to see this sort of support among members of the same family.

The Stones

Here’s a pair of mother son tattoos that are a celebration of The Rolling Stones. This is the second example of a mother and son pair who decided to rock out with their matching tattoos.

Troopers

More Stormtroopers! In addition to these tattoos, we also saw a mother and son with lightsabers. Star Wars proves a shared passion for many!

Birdies

Wow! These two hearts filled with birds are beautiful. The blue and red really pop off of one another. These tattoos truly soar!

Keeping It Weird

Okay! We find two aliens pointing at one another from their perspective hiding spots. We’re not sure why, but these really stood out to us. The weirder the better!

Lots of Lotus

These ornamental lotus mother son tattoos were not something we expected to see. But, we were pleasantly surprised by these beautiful designs that symbolize resilience and rebirth.

A Couple of Cooks

This mother and son must really get down in the kitchen together. We find matching chef tattoos with all the tools of the trade.

Swimming Together

Who doesn’t love dolphins? Here’s yet another example of a watercolor tattoo that really nails it. If you share a love of nature, you could do no better.

Swirling Together

This is actually a tattoo that symbolizes the whole family. According to the photo’s caption, each bird represents a child. You can include the whole family with something similar!

Rainbow Orca

These splashy orca mother son tattoos really bring a lot to the table. The orcas would have looked fantastic on their own but the rainbow element really adds so much energy.

Some Magic

Okay! Here are mother son tattoos that are rather witchy. We’re clueless as to what the story behind them is but we really loved how these tattoos turned out.

Name Names

This mom has her son’s name tattooed on the top of a heart and her son has her name on his. Although the placement of each tattoo is different, they still match really well.

Two Drops

Get creative with your mother son tattoos and you will find that the energy you put into coming up with the perfect design will be well worth it. Minimalist tattoos like these look understated and sophisticated.

Tiny Moons

Micro tattoos are also an option! We’ve seen a bunch of rather large tattoos but you should feel free to go small. This is especially true if one of you is squeamish about needles!

Calavera

Calaveras or candy skulls offer a unique way to celebrate family and heritage. These black and grey designs look great but we encourage you to explore color if you’re thinking of something similar.

A Guiding Light

The lighthouse is a symbol for hope and guidance. It’s the perfect subject matter for mother son tattoos for this reason. If you feel like each other’s guiding lights, consider the same.

Dragon Duo

At first glance, we thought we were looking at seahorses but the caption on the photo informed us that these are actually dragons. If you look closely at the designs, you will notice that they include Celtic knots.

Semicolons

Semicolon tattoos are popular mental health tattoos. They symbolize solidarity so it is only natural for them to show up among mother son tattoos.

Lock & Key

Here’s another version of the lock and key puzzle pieces. It’s a popular design scheme. Detailed line work and excellent shading make these tattoos really shine.

Day & Night

“Good night, sleep tight” and “See you in the morning,” are two sentiments shared often between a mother and child as they grow up. The phrases make for meaningful and nostalgic tattoos.

Dippers

Appropriately, we find a big and little dipper as subject matter for these mother son tattoos. If you both enjoy stargazing together, something similar could be perfect for you.

Time After Time

Two hourglasses make for mysterious mother son tattoos. Perhaps they symbolize that this pair always has time for one another?

Foxy

Your mother son tattoos can be a bit obscure. You don’t need to slap anyone in the face with your overtly sentimental tattoo. If you want to keep things simple, get an animal that you both love tattooed.

Origami

We encounter origami once more with these dinosaur and bird tattoos. Often, simplicity is bliss and we find that with these rather straightforward designs.

Around the World

For a pair who have seen the world together, a tattoo that celebrates a sense of adventure could be a wise choice. These tattoos turned out nicely.

It’s a Sign

We find the ASL sign for love in these very simple yet effective mother son tattoos. If you feel the need to express love, this is a reminder that there are so many ways to do so.

Charlie

Look at Charlie Brown! We find the character in two modes in these mother son tattoos. It’s clear this pair share a great sense of humor.

First Things First

“Family first” puts things right on the table. If you would like to celebrate family, a simple phrase like this gets right to the point.

On Strength

“Strength is what we gained from the madness we survived,” is a powerful sentiment that’s been turned into beautiful tattoos. If a quote captures your special bond, feel free to get it tattooed in pretty script.

They Tried

Here’s another pair that’s got a great sense of humor. The son’s tattoo says “Momma tried.” Momma’s tattoo says, “I tried.” We hope you got a big kick out these as well!

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Moo!

We leave you with beautiful portraits of cows. We find a mama cow and a calf which feels perfectly fitting. Letting nature be your tattoo inspiration is always a wise decision!

There you go! We hope you enjoyed these mother son tattoos and they will help you come up with your own matching tattoo ideas. Like we said, get inspired and go with something unconventional. We came across a lot of similar designs when we were curating this list. Talk to a tattoo artist and see what they might have up their sleeve. They are artists and will come up with something incredible for your mother son tattoos. We have no doubt about it! Now, go and get some ink!