Butterfly neck tattoo

61 Elegant Butterfly Neck Tattoo Designs To Swag In 2025

The butterfly neck tattoo is a great way to show your individuality and express yourself. The tattoo is not only gorgeous but also rich in symbolism and meaning. The tattoo can represent different themes of freedom, transformation, and beauty.

The butterfly tattoo on the neck has always been a popular design thanks to its aesthetic appeal, colors, and flexibility. So, the internet hosts a ton of designs for butterfly neck tattoos from around the world. Whether you like simple tattoos or extravagant ones, there’s something for everyone for a butterfly neck tattoo.

To help you in choosing the best design for you, we have gathered some of the most amazing butterfly neck tattoos for you. Let’s take a look.

Meaning Of Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Meaning Of Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@hardcandy_tattoo

Over the years, the butterfly tattoo has been given different meanings depending on their shapes, sizes, and placement. As butterflies go through a beautiful transformation from a caterpillar, the tattoo represents growth, change, and resilience.

The butterfly tattoo on the neck carries a deeper meaning due to the delicacy of the placement. The neck is a sensitive placement that is often painful to do a tattoo on. So, the butterfly tattoo on the neck represents grace and delicacy along with the meaning of the butterfly tattoo. Due to the placement, the tattoo can also represent freedom and adaptability.

But at the end of the day, the meaning depends on your interpretation. You can also get the butterfly neck tattoo just for the visual aesthetics of the tattoo.

Butterfly Neck Tattoo Ideas To Set Yourself Free

There are a lot of butterfly neck tattoo ideas that you can get for yourself. If you go on the internet, you’d see an abundance of designs for the tattoo. To help you sort out the most elegant butterfly tattoos for your neck, we have curated some of the most amazing tattoos on this list. Let’s check them out. Shall we?

Butterfly Side Neck Tattoo

Butterfly Side Neck Tattoo 1

@inkzkitty

Butterfly Side Neck Tattoo 2

@kettles.touch

The side-neck tattoo is more manageable in terms of its pain levels. So the butterfly tattoo on the side neck has become a popular tattoo for those who want a neck tattoo but want it to be less painful.

If you want to showcase the meaning of a butterfly tattoo visibly, there is perhaps no more elegant way than the side neck position. This placement also adds a sensual appeal to the tattoo that can be hidden or revealed with your hairline.

You can go for a silhouette of a butterfly, an outline, or a fully colored butterfly on the side. You can get the tattoo in different styles starting from watercolor to realistic. The choice is yours. But perhaps the most popular style for the side neck is a minimal portrayal of the butterfly with a single needle or fine-line tool.

Butterfly Back Neck Tattoo

Butterfly Back Neck Tattoo 1

@nadelnest.tattoo.piercing

Butterfly Back Neck Tattoo 2

@tattoosbyjocke

The butterfly back neck tattoo is a unique and unorthodox placement for a butterfly tattoo. This tattoo places a butterfly on the back of the neck. As this placement is a little less painful than the front or side of the neck, this tattoo is often done in a bigger form factor.

You can play around with your hairstyle to fit the tattoo. As the tattoo is placed on the back of the neck, you can easily hide the tattoo with your hair. And if you want to show off the tattoo, just lift up or do a high ponytail.

The back neck tattoo also has a larger canvas allowing for more customization than the side neck. You can either go for one single butterfly spanning the entire back neck or a bunch of butterflies together to make a unique design.

Butterfly Front Neck Tattoo

Butterfly Front Neck Tattoo 1

@swanson_tattoos

Butterfly Front Neck Tattoo 2

@the.anarchyink

The butterfly front neck tattoo is a rather bold choice for a neck tattoo. This is a perfect piece if you are looking to make a statement or show confidence in your body. This tattoo shows your strength and resilience and your accepting nature towards change.

This tattoo can also be customized. You can do the butterfly as a necklace tattoo, or get the butterfly on the entire front neck. The tattoo can be done in color or in black and white depending on your choice. You can get the tattoo in a realistic, watercolor, or abstract style on the front of the neck.

Small Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Small Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@othersidesolingen

The small butterfly neck tattoo is a rather common design featuring a smaller butterfly on the side. The tattoo represents beauty, simplicity, freedom, and transformation. If you are looking for a subtle design that you can easily hide, this tattoo is for you.

This tattoo features a minimal butterfly design often done with only the outline of the tattoo. You can get the tattoo done with a single needle or fine-line tool. This tattoo can be done in color or in black depending on your choice.

Red Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Red Butterfly Neck Tattoo 1

@dannydrawsz

Red Butterfly Neck Tattoo 2

@jennharritattoo

The red butterfly neck tattoo is a sensual and passionate tattoo featuring a red butterfly on the side of the neck. The red color of the tattoo holds a powerful symbolism with a stunning look. This tattoo represents love, passion, and growth.

If you are looking to grab some attention through your body art, then this design is a great way to do so. The tattoo can be done in a vibrant red to recreate a fiery look. Or it can be done in a muted traditional color scheme. Or if you want you can go for a watercolor look on the tattoo.

Butterfly Skull Neck Tattoo

Butterfly Skull Neck Tattoo 1

@oscarjesustattoo

Butterfly Skull Neck Tattoo 2

@monik.tattoo

This is a unique tattoo that features the butterfly skull tattoo on the neck. Other than representing growth, beauty, and change, this tattoo also works as a reminder of the impermanence of life. So the tattoo represents a change or renewal through ending something.

As this tattoo has a gloomy or dark theme, this tattoo is mostly done in black and gray. But if you are looking to be funky around the butterfly skull theme, then you can go for a colorful tattoo. You can either get the tattoo as an outline or a negative space butterfly neck tattoo.

Blue Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Blue Butterfly Neck Tattoo 1

@paulaspreciouspieces

Blue Butterfly Neck Tattoo 2

@tasialarkin

The blue butterfly neck tattoo features a butterfly with different shades of blue. The blue butterfly represents the calming and soothing nature of the wearer along with the other meanings of the butterfly. You can also customize the tattoo with other elements like names, dates, and quotes.

3 Butterfly Neck Tattoo

3 Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@xotic_tattoo_95

The 3 butterfly neck tattoo is a popular design. As the name suggests, this tattoo features 3 butterflies on the neck of the wearer. You can either get the tattoo with just the outline of the butterflies. Or you can do 3 realistic butterflies depending on the aesthetic you are going for.

Butterfly and Snake Neck Tattoo

Butterfly and Snake Neck Tattoo

@tattoo.rondell

If you are going for something exotic, you can get a snake and a butterfly on the neck. These tattoos look amazing with a realistic style of the snake and butterfly. But you can always get the tattoo in black and white depending on your choice.

Butterfly and Flower Neck Tattoo

Butterfly and Flower Neck Tattoo

@alise.a.tattoos

If you are looking to get a feminine and elegant tattoo, then you can combine the butterfly with flowers. This tattoo can be done in a half butterfly half flower style or you can place the butterfly on some flowers. This tattoo looks best in color.

Purple Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Purple Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@tattoosbykano

Another color variation of the butterfly neck tattoo is the purple butterfly. This tattoo represents serenity, grace, and beauty. The tattoo can be placed on the side, back, or front of the neck depending on your choice.

Butterfly Neck Fine Line Tattoo

Butterfly Neck Fine Line Tattoo

@martyna.nowak.tattoo

If you are looking for minimalism at its best, then the butterfly neck fine line tattoo is the way to go. This tattoo features only an outline of the butterfly with a fine-line tool. This tattoo is mostly kept black. But if you want some colors, you can also do the outline with a different color.

Traditional Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Traditional Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@viroo.coolcat

This is a design that features the butterfly neck tattoo in the classic American tattoo style. This tattoo features a colorful butterfly with muted colors and a bold black outline. You can also add other elements in the traditional style with the tattoo.

Monarch Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Monarch Butterfly Neck Tattoo 1

@badzenresidue

Monarch Butterfly Neck Tattoo 2

@tenthgatetattoo

The monarch butterfly is a species of butterfly that features specific patterns and some beautiful colors. This tattoo features the Monarch butterfly on the beck. To show the natural beauty of the butterfly, this tattoo is mostly done in color.

Mandala Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Mandala Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@gianlucacambriani

If you are looking for an exaggerated tattoo, you might want to check the mandala butterfly neck tattoo. This tattoo incorporates a mandala on the wing of the butterfly. The tattoo is mostly done in color to show off the beautiful wings of the butterfly. Or you can opt for the black and white color.

Owl Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Owl Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@blackraventattooaz

The owl butterfly neck tattoo is unique. This tattoo features the face of an owl on the wings of a butterfly. This tattoo can represent the wisdom and knowledge that comes with the owl. This tattoo looks amazing with a realistic color scheme.  But you can get the tattoo in black and white.

Realistic Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Realistic Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@jessicamarietattoo

The Realistic butterfly neck tattoo features some play with colors, highlights, and shadows to mimic a real butterfly. This tattoo is mostly done in colors to reflect a real butterfly. But, you can always choose black and white to do the tattoo.

3D Butterfly Neck Tattoo

3D Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@toddhooper_pst

The 3d butterfly neck tattoo is a unique tattoo that combines highlights and shadows on the neck to create a 3D effect on the butterfly. This tattoo is often done in a realistic color scheme. You can also add other elements like texts, names, or dates to the tattoo to give it some depth.

Watercolor Butterfly Neck Tattoo

Watercolor Butterfly Neck Tattoo

@scarlettkay85

The watercolor butterfly neck tattoo is a soothing design. This tattoo looks like a watercolor painting on the neck featuring one or more colorful butterflies. This tattoo can be done on the side, back, or front neck depending on your choice.

The Process Of Doing A Cute Butterfly Neck Tattoo

This video shows how you can get a butterfly tattoo on the side-neck position. To do the tattoo, the artist first traces the outline of the tattoo with a stencil on the side of the neck. Then they move on to do the outline with a fine-line tool. Later the artist goes on to fill in the outline of the tattoo with a broader-sized needle.

If you are in the market for a butterfly tattoo on the side neck, this video is a great representation of what you can expect. But if you’re looking to get a tattoo on the back neck or the front neck, this video will also give you some ideas.

FAQ

As we’ve discussed, the butterfly tattoo on the neck is a pretty popular placement for the butterfly tattoo. So, there are also a ton of questions regarding the butterfly tattoo, its implications, and its associations. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding butterfly tattoos on the neck.

Q: Are butterfly neck tattoos painful?

Answer: Yes. Butterfly neck tattoos can be painful. This is due to the placement of the tattoo on the neck. The neck is a delicate placement for a tattoo as it can be more painful than other placements while getting a tattoo. Although the pain level for the side of the neck is more manageable than the front of the neck.

Q: Do butterfly tattoos mean depression?

Answer: Some tattoo enthusiasts think that butterfly tattoos CAN be a way to show your depression. But it can also act as a way to remind yourself that whatever happens you are growing and transforming into a beautiful being.

Conclusion

To wrap up, butterfly neck tattoos are alluring tattoos that not only show the natural beauty of butterflies but also the wearer. The tattoo represents the wearer’s personal growth and resilient nature.

The butterfly neck tattoo can be the perfect combination of beauty and symbolism for the wearer. And this accounts for the millions of designs on the internet on butterfly neck tattoos. To get one for yourself, just choose one from our curated list, or just design yourself with inspiration from our list.

Whatever you do, we’re sure you’ll end up with a beautiful tattoo that compliments you.

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