Getting a 1999 tattoo design can be a good way to commemorate your birth year or a special occasion that happened around that time. I actually did one a few days ago - it was a small tattoo on the simple side, with a standard Arial font with 1999 as Arabic numerals.
Apart from this, there are a bunch of ways that you can go about 1999 tattoo designs, like adding an eye of providence to show that God has been watching over you, or getting a butterfly to signify someone you love passing away. But to be honest, the list goes and on, so today, I thought about running through some of the most popular 1999 year tattoo designs, and their meanings.
Here are all the best 1999 tattoo designs.
A simple 1999 tattoo would just be the year without any concepts or details, making it a straightforward way to highlight the year.
Just because you are keeping it simple, doesn't mean you have to be stuck with a boring tattoo. I'd suggest that you find an awesome font to get the tattoo in. The last 1999 tattoo I did was more on the simple side, and it was in a 3D font that looked super dramatic.
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Roman numerals are often associated with classical art and literature. You can pay tribute to the year 1999 while also giving a nod to ancient Roman culture by combining the numerals and year together. But if you were to ask me, I'd say getting the year 1999 in Roman numerals looks cooler and would be a better conversation starter than just getting the year in normal Arabic numerals.
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You can also keep it simple by going for a 99 tattoo instead of just '1999'. It'd basically be the same as getting a simple 1999 tattoo: 99 would be another short, straightforward way to commemorate your birth year or even a special occasion.
Some Celebrities like David Beckham actually have 99 tattoos too - he got one to highlight the year he married Victoria Beckham, so if you're a fan of him, maybe this is an added reason to go for the 99 year tattoo.
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The Jaguar is this powerful animal that rules the Amazon, especially known for its independence and stealth. In Indigenous cultures, it is also seen as a symbol of protection. Adding the year 1999 next to a jaguar can represent a turning point in your life, where you became strong and mighty like a Jaguar.
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Barbed wire is often associated with confinement, so getting barbed wire along with the year 1999 can pay tribute to a time in your life that was more closed-in and isolated. Compared to some of the other tattoos on my list, it's less of a tattoo for celebration and more of one for remembrance.
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Speaking of barbed wire, I feel like it would be a good idea to mention what one of my clients did - she and her husband had been married for decades, but they've been through a lot and have even been separated a few times. But she said the love in the marriage was still there, so she wanted to get the year they got married with a barbed wire heart to symbolize a sense of resilience in their relationship.
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'Est' followed by a year normally means that a business was founded in a particular year. You can get an Est in 1999 tattoo to highlight your birthday in a unique way, making yourself seem like a particular entity like a business that was founded.
You can also get it to pay tribute to a special moment in your life where you felt like you were reborn. I actually have a story to share- a client of mine came in for a 'Est in 2005' tattoo once, and she said she was getting it to represent the day she moved to the United States, and how it felt like a rebirth.
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The eye of providence is a symbol thought to represent God being all-powerful and knowing. You've probably seen one if you've turned over a 1 dollar bill before. The combination of the eye of providence and the year 1999 in a tattoo can convey being a child of god since the year, which may be your birth year or even the year of baptism.
At the same time, the eye of providence is a symbol of wisdom and illumination. The year 1999 was a major turning point before the world transitioned into a new millennium, which makes combining it with the eye of providence a great design idea to represent change and the unknown.
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Butterflies are known to flutter around and be free. As a tattoo, a butterfly along with the year 1999 can represent you liberating yourself during that year. But also, butterflies in popular culture are symbols of remembrance. This makes a butterfly and 1999 tattoo a good way to pay tribute to someone who may have passed that year.
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Roses are often associated with romance. By getting a rose and 1999 tattoo, you can signify a romantic relationship you may have had during that year.
In some cultures, the white rose is associated with death, mostly due to its prevalence in funerals. This makes a white rose with the year 1999 a way to pay tribute to someone you know who has passed away.
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Flames are usually associated with intensity and passion. By getting a 1999 tattoo with flames, you will be able to showcase your vibrant personality, as well as your birth year.
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Daggers can represent a sense of strength and courage. Historically, the fact that they were tools for protection also ties into this. As a tattoo, combining a dagger with the year 1999 can symbolize your ability to overcome hardships, especially ones that you may have faced during the year of 1999.
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The post-stamp 1999 tattoo can represent the passage of time, and how long it has been since the year which may have been a particularly important year to you.
Of course, you can play with the post-stamp design any way you want - I'd suggest that you look up different post-stamps, and perhaps find one that was popular in 1999 to truly pay tribute to the year.
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Ferns are known to be lush and grow in very forestry areas. The tattoo design can represent a strong connection with nature, as well as a permanent reminder of a particular event or fond memory that happened outdoors around the year 1999.
Since ferns are so long, I'd recommend that you do the tattoo on a wider part of your body, like the collarbone. Just keep in mind that getting a collarbone tattoo can hurt - I actually always advise clients with bad pain tolerance from getting a tattoo design here.
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In some East Asian cultures, like the Chinese, the goldfish is a symbol of good luck. If you're someone who's a bit more superstitious, you can add a goldfish next to 1999 to symbolize good luck and prosperity since the year.
I also have to say that goldfish are known for their adaptability, meaning that the goldfish 1999 tattoo can represent being resilient since 1999.
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Crowns are often associated with royalty. By combining one with the year 1999, you can convey how highly you value yourself, emphasizing that you were royalty since the year 1999, which may be when you were born.
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You can always get a 1999 tattoo on your chest if the year means so much that you need to keep it close to your heart. I'd say it'd be a great choice for a placement if you want to honor the year that someone close to you had passed. However, remember what I mentioned earlier - getting a chest tattoo can hurt, especially if you go near the collarbone. There's just a lot of bone and nerve endings in this area.
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A hand tattoo is easily noticeable and makes for a very prominent statement, making it perfect for a 1999 tattoo if you want to put the year on blast. Since the space is limited, it'll be a good spot for a small tattoo, which might be ideal if you don't have the biggest budget or a lot of time.
When it comes to hand tattoos in general, there are two ways that you can go about them. You can either get the tattoo on the hand itself or get it on the fingers. I'd say the latter looks the coolest, especially if you do one digit on a separate finger.
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Just like with hand tattoos, forearms are a great place to get tattooed if you want a tattoo that's noticeable. As a tattoo artist, I always recommend forearm tattoos to clients who don't have the best pain tolerance. There's just a lot of thick skin and muscle here, so the spot doesn't hurt that much.
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You can always get a 1999 tattoo on your back. If you think about it, it's the best place if you want a tattoo that's more discreet: no one will be able to see it when you have clothes on, which works great if you work in corporate.
As you're working with such a large space, you are free to go heavy with the design details and make for a more elaborate 1999 tattoo. I'd suggest what one of my clients did recently - he got his childhood dog as a pup in 1999 and recently got a 1999 year tattoo in the Roman numeral style along with a portrait of his pup to remember him. But of course, if you're going to be doing something impressive and detailed like this, it can naturally take a while.
Also, if you're going to be doing something similar to what I suggested, keep in mind that not all tattoo artists can nail portraits - it's more of a skill, so look around before booking someone for your 1999 tattoo appointment.
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Speaking of keeping it discreet, you can get the 1999 year tattoo on your leg - not many people would know you have the tattoo if you get your foot or ankle tattooed.
But also, depending on where on your leg you're getting tattooed, it might not hurt that much. The upper outer thigh is known to be not that painful. Plus, if you get your thigh tattooed, you'd have a lot of space to work with - you can end up getting a more detailed 1999 year tattoo design with a lot of elements, like what one of my clients did with the pup portrait.
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Most people get 1999 tattoos because the year is their birth year, and they want to commemorate it with a birthday tattoo. But at the same time, 1999 tattoos are a good way to highlight any special occasion that may have happened in that year, like a marriage, graduation, or even the loss of a loved one.
You can keep in mind the different elements I mentioned to emphasize these different occasions, like doing it in a beautiful font and then adding butterflies, hearts, and roses.
A '99' tattoo is basically another way to get a 1999 tattoo design - you can go for it if you want a 1999 tattoo but want to take as little space as possible. Celebrities like David Beckham have '99' tattoos too. He got it to commemorate getting married to his wife, Victoria Beckham.
On the flipside, '99' is also an angel number for change. So, if you're someone who's more superstitious, you can get a 99 tattoo design to emphasize change and new beginnings in your life.
The 1999 tattoo design is a good way to pay tribute to something significant happening in that year, like your birth year, or your marriage for example.
As you saw from my guide, there are a few different ways that you can play with a 1999 tattoo, like adding butterflies to represent spirits and someone passing, or a crown to represent being royalty and having a special purpose since that year.
All in all, I hope you found this ultimate guide useful and found a good 1999 tattoo design that works for you!
