Lightning has intrigued mankind for centuries, and it’s understandable, given that it has the power to turn night into day and has always been followed by fire or thunder. Lightning bolts have been depicted on our bodies for almost as long as humanity has been inking its bodies. A lightning bolt signifies power, speed, and decisiveness when executed correctly. A lightning bolt represents a split-second moment (unlike a thunderbolt), but it’s different from it. In the same way that other tattoos on an artist’s flash sheet represent nothing specific, this imagery does the same.

It’s important to understand that not all lightning bolt tattoos are the same, as they may symbolize inequality, racism, or fascism. The SS, for example, has been compared to a lightning bolt due to its pointy ends resembling the natural discharge. SS represents the Schutzstaffel in Nazi Germany and has come to be associated with white supremacy and neo-Nazi thought.

There are several meanings attached to lightning bolt tattoos and lightning bolts in general, depending on the people and culture. Before permanently applying your lightning bolt tattoo, it’s always a good idea to become familiar with the nuances of your design. We have, however, made a loss of the celebrities who are donning lightning tattoos in great style. Hope you feel inspired looking at your favorite celebs.

List of 22 Celebrities with Lightning Tattoo Designs

Ariana Grande Lightning Tattoo Design Behind Right Ear

Earlier this year, Arianna Grande got an outline of a lightning bolt inked behind her right ear. It’s almost certainly a Harry Potter tattoo since she’s a known Harry Potter fan. She hasn’t discussed this tattoo, but it’s likely she’s inspired by that series.

Pete Davidson, who is her fiance, also has a lightning bolt tattoo on his wrist, though it looks quite different. His Harry Potter tattoo has been around for years, but it was one of his other Harry Potter tattoos that caught Ariana’s eye in their first meeting on the set of SNL. Zach Sang recalled what she saw where he had his sleeve [up] and the Deathly Hallows [on his arm], as well as the tiniest bit of a quote from Dumbledore. She was interested in him anyway because he was cute, but when she saw the tattoos, it sealed her heart

Chiara Ferragni Lightning Tattoo Design On Left Hand

In January 2016, Chiara Ferragni went to Dr. Woo for a tattoo of three lightning bolts drawn out of bounds on her left hand.

Camille Rowe Lightning Tattoo Design On Left Upper Arm

Camille Rowe has a lightning bolt tattoo on her left upper arm.

Jesy Nelson Lightning Tattoo Design On

In February 2017, Jesy Nelson had six symbols tattooed on both knuckles of her left hand at once. She has the four suits from a deck of playing cards — ♤ spades on her index finger, ♢ diamonds on her middle finger, ♧ clubs on her ring finger, and ♡ hearts on her pinkie — as well as a ✝ Christian cross on her thumb and a ? lightning bolt on her middle finger.

Ruby Rose Lightning Tattoo Design On

The right side of Ruby Rose’s upper back is covered in two tattoos related to boxing. Lionel Rose, her godfather, was an accomplished professional boxer and the first indigenous Australian to win a world title. This is the first part of her tattoo. He passed away in May 2011 at the age of 62. Rhys Gordon, a Sydney tattoo artist, completed Ruby’s tribute piece that same month. On her right shoulder blade, she got a tattoo of Lionel’s name inscribed underneath a laurel wreath and a pair of boxing gloves.

Despite being named after Lionel Rose, Ruby Lagenheim is not biologically related to him, as she is Ruby Rose Langenheim, not Ruby Rose Langenheim. It was a close relationship between her father and him. As recently as 2012, Lionel’s family stirred up controversy by alleging that Ruby did not have any relationship with them after her parent’s divorce and that she was merely using the name “Rose” to advance her career by association with Lionel. Even though Ruby didn’t have direct contact with Lionel in her later years, she says that her first experience with him had a big impact on her.

“I met Lionel five or six times as a young tacker and he was a huge inspiration to me,” she told the Herald Sun. “I didn’t have a dad. Those trips to Lionel’s, while very few and far between, were everything. We had a crummy life, we didn’t have any money, dad was like `how’s it going? but Lionel had a real impact on me…He passed away as my godfather. They can’t take that away from me…I love him – and if he’s looking down on me from heaven, I know he would be proud of the things I do.”

Her commitment to amateur boxing was one way Ruby paid tribute to Lionel’s legacy. Adding two yellow lightning bolts and the nickname “The Thorn” to her tattoo in November 2012 was her way of adding additional meaning to the tattoo. Since getting the tattoo, it seems she hasn’t taken up boxing anymore. She competed in a small number of amateur fights around the time that she got the tattoo.

Lottie Tomilson Lightning Tattoo Design On

A flashlight outline, outlined on each wrist, was tattooed on Lottie and Tommy. In this image, Lottie is seen with flash ink, which she shared on Snapchat on June 29, 2016.

Teyana Taylor Lightning Tattoo Design On

On the underside of the left breast of Teyana Taylor is a tattoo. Despite being unable to see clearly, it looks like a pair of lightning bolts.

Daisy Lowe Lightning Tattoo Design On

Daisy Lowe got this lightning bolt tattoo on the palm of her right hand as an inspiration from a couple of other celebs. After seeing Brooke Candy’s work, she began to search for Sean From Texas, which she found on a lot of blogs. She shared the new tattoo in an Instagram post on July 12, 2015, in which she tagged Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine with the words “All for you.” One month earlier Florence had posted a picture of a new tattoo of her own. Perhaps Daisy got the challenge from Florence?

Her new tattoo is captioned as follows:

All for you @ouhoh… By the super dude @seanfromtexas at@tattoomania25 thanks to@brookecandy⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ sorry grandma….

(@ouhoh is Florence’s old username)

Yasmine Yousaf Lightning Tattoo Design On

Yasmine Yousaf outlined a lightning bolt inked on the back of her upper left arm.

Cleopatra Coleman Lightning Tattoo Design On

The 21st Annual Critics’ Choice Awards were held on January 17th in Los Angeles attended by actress Cleopatra Coleman. A previous interview she gave described the lightning bolt tattoo as being inspired by Patti Smith’s, she has one on her knee done by a native Australian named Vali Myers. She also mentioned that it is on the left side of the body for her feminine power.

Nikki Williams Lightning Tattoo Design On

In May 2014, Nikki Williams made this “stormy weather” ink of three lightning bolts on her right upper arm.

Hayley Williams Lightning Tattoo Design On

The lightning bolt on Hayley Williams’ elbow is inscribed with the letters “TCB,” which stand for “Takin’ Care of Business.”

Elvis Presley’s backing band was called the TCB band and they lived by this motto. Hayley sports a replica necklace bearing the same TCB lightning bolt logo, and she writes, “Finally got my TLC.” Elvis wore a similar necklace, but Hayley wears a replica necklace with the TLC name. My family has been wearing the necklace for years. My father’s nickname is TCB (taking care of business), and my mother says TLC (tender love and care). Now I’ve got both… And one of them is permanent! Think Elvis would be proud?”

In August, artist Dan Smith at Kat Von D’s high voltage tattoo shop in West Hollywood inked this tattoo for her.

Hayley Williams Lightning Tattoo Design On

Hayley Williams has a Warped Tour tattoo behind her left ear which commemorates her experience on the tour. Paramore played on the tour from 2005 to 2011, along with other bands in the past. Her tattoo was created in July 2009, soon after Paramore played a surprise set at the Cleveland Warped Tour 2009. During Paramore’s Cleveland show in 2007, a massive storm occurred just before the set. An image of a cloud with a lightning bolt with “Warped” appears on the tattoo. There is also the inscription “Remember this experience” above it.

Hayley writes that this tattoo represents “My <3 for the warped tour. (minus all the horrific bands on this year). 2 years ago in Cleveland, we almost died in the storm on Warped!!! and our fans stuck around and waited for us for at least an hour. We went on anyways and played one of the most fun sets of the whole tour. So memorable. Then this year, we got to surprise Warped in Cleveland. The weather was perfect. I wanted something to remind me of some of my best Warped memories. No more “tour/bro” tats for me after that one!”

Linda Perry Lightning Tattoo Design On

Linda Perry has lighting bolt tattoos on the side of both her hands

Avril Lavigne Lightning Tattoo Design On

Deryck Whibley and Arvil Lavigne inked “30” on their wrists together during the celebration of his 30th birthday in March 2010. Even though they had filed for divorce, the couple remained good friends. In April 2010, she agreed to get a lightning bolt tattooed right underneath it, and her boyfriend, Brody Jenner, got a matching tattoo behind his ear.

Lynn Gunn Lightning Tattoo Design On

The PVRIS lead singer Lynn Gunn has a tattoo on her ankle of the number 13 made up of lightning bolts. The tattoo was done as part of her Friday Thirteenth celebrations on September 13, 2013.

Ash Costello Lightning Tattoo Design On

Her left index finger bears a tattoo of Harry Potter’s lightning bolt scar, a tattoo she got in July 2010 when she was obsessed with the Harry Potter books.

Erin Wasson Lightning Tattoo Design On

Just above the elbow on the back of her left arm, Wasson has the “TCB” lightning bolt logo of Elvis Presley. As the letters TCB suggest, the company takes care of business.

Skylar Gray Lightning Tattoo Design On

A large forest scene tattoo covers Skylar Gray’s back in full. In re-inventing herself, she spent time in the woods of Oregon before getting the tattoo representing a time in her life when she lived there. A time like this was vital to both her personal development and her development as an artist.

“I moved into a cabin in the woods and I was broke and I was down on my luck and depressed. It was there that I proved to myself that I could survive anything. And when I came out of the woods I wrote ‘Love The Way You Lie’ and that changed my life forever. So that tattoo represents that whole dream to me.”

Lightning bolts and storm clouds are represented in the imagery as symbols of her struggles, while a cabin represents her shelter in a storm. In contrast to the heavy meaning of the tattoo, the lighter part is a lumberjack clown, which was influenced by the tattoo artist’s fondness for clowns.

“I wanted a lumberjack. Mister Cartoon has this signature thing that he does clowns. So I thought, why not just make it a lumberjack clown? Because that’s what I do, I mix weird stuff together. My album is like that, my fashion sense is like that,” she told Amp Radio.

Hanna Beth Merjos Lightning Tattoo Design On

There is a tradition in tattoo parlors to tattoo the number 13 for $13 as part of the Friday the 13th celebration. Her “13” is made from lightning bolts and was tattooed on February 13, 2012, at True Tattoo in Hollywood, CA.

Above the tattoo is the red ink tattoo that says “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here are the Sex Pistols” from the Sex Pistols classic punk album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here are the Sex Pistols.

Lil Debbie Lightning Tattoo Design On

There are two tattoos on the knuckles of Little Debbie. On her index finger is a pink female symbol (♀). A yellow lightning bolt outline is visible on her middle finger.