25 Darling Small Heart Tattoos to Fall in Love With

Small heart tattoos are adorable little tattoos that celebrate all things love. Most of these tattoos are simple and tiny designs that are very cute and don’t require a huge commitment on your part. However, you can go more detailed if you like for an even more evocative design. We wanted to better understand the best small heart tattoos out there, so we searched for the most beloved designs on social media.

If you don’t know where to start with your small heart tattoos, you have come to the right place. We have rounded up dozens of tattoos to get fresh ideas for your own ink. From micro designs to beautifully executed concepts with tons of tiny flourishes, we have many different types of small heart tattoos for you to explore. Enjoy!

Like a Ring

Small Heart Tattoos
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A popular spot for small heart tattoos is on the fingers. What’s not love about a little flash of sweetness that any and all can see? The ring finger is the most popular, but you can decide what digit you want yours to land on.

Heart on Heart

Small Heart Tattoos
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Here’s another one of the simple small heart tattoos. It’s been placed in the middle of the chest which gives it even more meaning.

Doubling Up

Small Heart Tattoos
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For more visual interest, consider getting stacked small heart tattoos. You can do them in different colors or different styles to spice things up.

Hand-Drawn

Small Heart Tattoos
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This small heart tattoo looks like a hand-drawn heart with its cute little curl. The line is very fine here, and if you’d like something similar, you should discuss the thickness of the lines used for your design with your tattoo artist.

Micro Heart Tattoo With Fill

Small Heart Tattoos
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Tiny tattoos are very much a trend today. You can go really small with a heart because it is such a simple shape. A tiny black one looks great but any color will do!

Follow the Butterfly

Small Heart Tattoos
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Here’s a cute idea for those out there who also love butterflies. A small heart tattoo has been formed by the flightpath the butterfly has taken. A couple of flower details sweeten the deal even further.

Teeny Tiny

Small Heart Tattoos
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Here’s another micro-small heart tattoo, and we share it with you because it’s red and not black. See how big of a difference a little color makes? Red is always smart regarding any tattoo, but you’ve got a perfect excuse with a heart.

Shimmering

Small Heart Tattoos
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Another direction people take their small heart tattoos in is a geometric design. You could do something more minimalist with just sharp shapes that form the heart or brighten things up a touch with a gemstone or diamond-looking heart. What a treat!

Key to Their Heart

Small Heart Tattoos
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A very simple heart design has been improved by the addition of some basic shapes. We have a keyhole, wings, and crown that all offer symbolic meaning. What does this tattoo mean to you? What do you want your tattoo to convey?

Forever Love

Small Heart Tattoos
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One of the most popular small heart tattoos is the infinity symbol with the heart shape worked into it. If you decide to go with something similar, know that you are in very, very good company as a lot of people have a tattoo that looks just like this.

Haunting

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Here’s one of our favorite small heart tattoos on this. The artist has managed to make it look ethereal, as if formed by purple water or smoke. It’s dreamy and terribly gorgeous.

For the Love of the Sea

Small Heart Tattoos
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Believe it or not, we saw a lot of small heart tattoos that also feature waves. People sure have a deep connection to the sea. Here’s one of the most minimal ones we encountered that takes one thin line to get its meaning across.

The Fade of It All

Small Heart Tattoos
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If you’re not afraid to play with color, a heart that seems to fade from red to black, as you see in the above example, or from any color to another is cool. Add a few colors, and you can have a very dramatic ombré effect.

RELATED: 30 Broken Heart Tattoos That Are More Rad Than Sad

Another Way to Fade

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Okay, you’re not messing around. If you aren’t a fan of colorful ink, you can fade from black to grey for something equally handsome. Because small heart tattoos are often simple, you can really get weird with the ways you choose to fill them.

The More, the Merrier

Small Heart Tattoos
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Why have just one when you can have several small heart tattoos? This person has chosen five with a different color for each. What do yo think of this look?

Melt

Small Heart Tattoos
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Melting tattoos are widespread across the board but the effect looks really cool for small heart tattoos. With just black ink, this artist has created something that is visually appealing with a sentiment that seems to say, “you melt my heart.”

The Real Deal

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With just a few additions, you can have a more realistic look with your small heart tattoos. It’s a popular choice that looks fun in black but can really be brought to life with your favorite color.

With Flowers

Small Heart Tattoos
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Wow! A tiny surreal masterpiece. We find a small heart tattoo with flowers springing from the valves. The artist has used white ink to add highlight and depth to the overall design.

Little Boot

Small Heart Tattoos
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This small heart tattoo was too cute not to share. We find a little cowboy boot filled with itty-bitty hearts. How sweet is that? It makes us want to yell, “yeehaw!”

White Is an Option

Small Heart Tattoos
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White ink tattoos used to be very rare. Artists did not really see much of a point to them because they fade incredibly fast. After a few short months, this small heart tattoo will barely be visible. This could be an appealing feature to you but prepare to need touch-ups to keep it looking great.

Magic

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Okay, so this is the largest of the small heart tattoos on this list. But we loved the overall idea. The heart is treated as a specimen here under a glass cloche. It seems to float by magic, offering a mysterious and cool look.

Peace and Love

Small Heart Tattoos
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Simplicity is bliss. With minimal effort, a tattoo artist has created a design that conveys the symbolism of both a heart and a dove. We get a sort of peace and love combination. Consider pairing another element with the heart for even more self-expression.

Loving Planet Earth

Small Heart Tattoos
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Two small heart tattoos flank the earth in this nature-loving design. if you love the planet and all of its splendor, something similar could be the right fit for you.

Cherries

Small Heart Tattoos
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Feeling fruity? We found these two cherries with stems that form a heart to be a really fun idea. Your artist can work just about anything into a heart shape, so follow your joy and let them get creative.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 25 Captivating Sacred Heart Tattoos From Traditional to Newer Interpretations

Queen of Hearts

Small Heart Tattoos
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Finally, we leave you with a queen of hearts-style tattoo that finds a blood-red heart under a silver crown. If you’re in it for the drama, something similar could be the right way to go. It’s stunning!

There you go! We hope you found the right small heart tattoos for you. If you would like even more ink inspiration, keep reading. We’ve got dozens of broken heart tattoos (some of which are small) to share with you.

Devilish

Broken Heart Tattoos
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We’re kicking things off with a rather hot broken heart tattoo. Inside the heart, you will find a devil which is extremely original and unlike any of the other tattoos on this list. We like the idea of having a red character inside the heart for color. We wanted to start off with a bang but lets at a more standard broken heart tattoo next.

Keeping It Simple

Broken Heart Tattoos
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The most common type of broken heart tattoo looks like the above example and it’s usually tattooed in black or red ink. We favor red but go black if you are into it. It’s an extremely simple design and you can go this basic if you wish. Just understand that you will be in good company if you go this route.

The Crying Heart

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Broken heart tattoos with faces are fairly common. Most do not have this level of detail but a face inside of a heart shape is something you will find often. We’ll see more examples on this list if it’s something that interests you. In the above example, we love the texture the shading inside the heart offers. Further, the artist has tattooed the tears to look as if they are falling off of the face which is a cool effect.

Shattered

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Shattered glass broken heart tattoos are very popular today. We will see a couple more examples as the list goes on but this one is sort of the standard one that people tend to get. It’s not a bad idea and it’s easy to understand why it is so beloved.

Shattered Part II

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Here’s a slightly different interpretation of the shattered glass broken heart tattoo. Rather than having lines that radiate toward the center, we’ve got what looks like a bunch of little broken pieces that have been pieced back together.

Sad Skelly

Broken Heart Tattoos
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“I don’t want to be sad,” this broken heart tattoo says. Behind the heart, there’s a skull, you know, for good measure. If you’re looking for something a little different, think of a character or element that’s unique and that you have an interest in. For something a bit more morose, you can definitely riff on this and go in a similar direction.

Like a Stone

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Here, the broken heart tattoo has taken on a stone-like look with a crack down the center. Flanked by flowers, it offers a little bit of romance and life. Flowers are always a good idea when it comes to tattoos so do not skip requesting them if they speak to you.

Love Will Tear Us Apart

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Here’s a cool shattered-face broken heart tattoo. This design holds so much emotion and visual interest. This is an innovative way to spin the more traditional face and heart designs. It is key to work with a great artist who you trust and they can really help you realize your vision for your design.

Anatomical

Broken Heart Tattoos
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It’s a bit more difficult to create an anatomical broken heart tattoo because the idea is so conceptual. However, an artist can make it happen for you. Take a close look at the heart here and you’ll see all sorts of evidence that repairs have been made to it. It’s a stunner and a great direction to go if you want to go with a more realistic heart.

Heart of Glass

Broken Heart Tattoos
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How cool of an effect is the purple glass heart here? We love the way the flower peeks out from behind the design. This is an innovative take on more traditional designs and we think the artist really delivered something that looks both old and new.

Heart and Hands

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We find hands seeming to rip open a heart in this broken heart tattoo. If you’re interested in a design that’s more than just a heart, incorporating hands into your design will really add an extra layer of visual interest. Further, this gives a shape that’s perfect for placement on the top of the back or the upper chest.

Chipped

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Here we find a broken heart tattoo that looks like it’s been cracked and chipped. It’s rather eerie with those glowing white eyes but we are not made about them. Take a look at that intense shading around the heart and how it seems to be highlighted in the center. That is a good decision if you want to add more interest to your design.

An Interesting Concept

Broken Heart Tattoos
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As opposed to the glass being in the shape of the heart and breaking, this tattoo shows glass that has broken in the shape of a heart. It’s a great alternative if you like the broken glass look but want it to be slightly different than others out there.

Spider Web Broken Heart Tattoo

Broken Heart Tattoos
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If your brand is creepy, go ahead and lean into it. This is a weird one but we liked the concept of half the heart being black and the other half being a spider web. You get to make the rules! Even though this design is very simple, it definitely is a standout on the list.

Right Through the Heart

Broken Heart Tattoos
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A dagger through the heart tattoo is another design option open to you. It conveys the same sentiment while giving your tattoo artist the option to create a cool-looking dagger. We’ve got some flowers here for good measure that offers balance to the design.

Guillotine of Hearts

Broken Heart Tattoos
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In a contest for the most creative broken heart tattoo, this one would likely win. We find a guillotine structure housed inside a heart that cuts other hearts in half. You will not find anything else like it on this list. Really think of creative ways to get your point across and it will definitely pay off.

RELATED: Small Butterfly Tattoos That Will Make Your Heart Flutter

On the Mend

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Go ahead and wrap that broken heart tattoo up if the mood strikes you. If you want your broken heart tattoo to like it’s on the mend, you could totally try something similar. There’s something so sweet and whimsical about this one.

Bleeding Heart Flowers

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Someone understood the assignment! In this clever, broken heart tattoo, we find bleeding heart flowers which look like tiny little hearts. If you’re looking for a broken heart tattoo that also celebrates nature, take a look at these flowers as they could be the perfect combination of both.

Candy Heart

Broken Heart Tattoos
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To us, this broken heart tattoo looks like a heart-shaped piece of candy that’s been broken. The glossy, red look is a fun one that we actually did not see as often as you might expect. Most people choose black ink for their broken heart tattoo but going with color has its virtues as well.

Pinned Together

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Micro tattoos are wildly popular today. If you want to go small with your broken heart tattoo, it will absolutely make a big impact if you wisely design it. We find a safety pin holding two pieces of a broken heart together in this design and we can’t get enough.

Expressive

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This is one of our favorite broken heart tattoos to make the list. The face is just so incredibly expressive and the details the artist has included make it really stick with you. Delicate shading is the star of the show as are the crisp, clean lines. A tidy tattoo can really speak for itself.

Love and Death

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Okay! For this person’s broken heart tattoo, they wanted to include a couple of skeletons with wigs on, we presume. It’s very offbeat and unlike any other tattoo on the list. We also liked the way the artist went deep black inside the heart, making it look even more metal than it already is.

Traditional with a Twist

Broken Heart Tattoos
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How gorgeous is this half-sleeve tattoo? We love the marriage of traditional imagery with this very contemporary concept. You could do no better when turning your broken heart tattoo into a unique sleeve. If you like traditional tattooing, be sure to tell your artist that you would like your design to reflect that.

Feeling Blue

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Do not fear color. Colorful ink is your friend. More often than not folks will only go with black and grey but there are so many ways to bring a broken heart tattoo or any tattoo to life with a little color. Blue reads as sad, making it an excellent choice for a broken heart. Bold lines and a simple design really go along way.

Pop Art

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Roy Lichtenstein would be jealous of this amazing broken heart tattoo. The dot elements of this tattoo remind us of his pop artworks that almost look like comic book drawings or even marketing illustrations. If you want something singular, find yourself an artist with a point of view to make it totally your own.

Decorative Touches

Broken Heart Tattoos
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This broken heart tattoo looks like a piece of jewelry with all of its dazzling decorative elements. It reminds us of the Art Deco style. Make your heart reflect your tastes as any tattoo is going to be a form of self-expression. This sacred heart meets Art Deco decorative elements really looks rich.

Prickly

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Why yes, this is the only broken heart tattoo on the list containing thorns. We don’t know why but we do like the idea of a prickly heart. Think outside the box for a design that perfectly expresses how you experience a broken heart.

Doctored Up

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Similar to the safety pin heart, this heart has been patched up with a bandaid. It’s a carefree broken heart design that looks cute next to the other small tattoos around it. If you’re looking for a design that looks youthful and playful, go with something similar.

Tears

Broken Heart Tattoos
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We liked the crack element that looks like a lightning bolt in this broken heart tattoo. Further, most that have facial elements have two eyes whereas this one contains only one. Those subtle differences make it stand out from other designs on this list.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 25 Tattoos That Celebrate All Things Love

Inside

Broken Heart Tattoos
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Wow! We find a face splitting apart to reveal a heart that’s been pierced by a dagger. What a creative way to visualize internal feelings. Tidy cleans and gentle shading really make this broken heart tattoo sing. Bravo!

There you go! We hope you enjoyed these broken heart tattoos and feel inspired to get your very own. Whether you’re getting a tattoo because you’re heartbroken or just because it looks cool, you have seen several ways to pull one off.

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