Roman numerals tattoo

The meaning of Roman numerals as a tattoo

You are considering getting one Tattoo to get engraved and came across the motif of the Roman numerals? This is not surprising as the millennia-old numerals are a popular design when it comes to body art. The good thing: It doesn't have a set meaning, so it can stand for something completely different for each person.

Do they only find the aesthetic appealing and don't need a deeper meaning? Great, then simply have your own year of birth engraved as a Roman numeral! Or maybe you want a loved one or your pet's birthday on your skin immortalize - Roman numerals are also very suitable for this. So whether it's dates, lucky numbers or whatever you can think of that can be represented numerically, you can get it tattooed as Roman numerals.

Convert numbers to roman numbers

But before you get the ink under your skin, make sure you're really sure you've picked the right digits. Here you will find the numbers 1-10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 as Roman numerals:

1 = I

2 = II

3 = III

4 = IV

5 = v

6 = VI

7= VII

8 = IIX

9 = IX

10 = X

50 = L

100 = C

500 = D

1000 = M

The year 2023 would be accordingly: MMXXIII.

To be sure your roman numeral is correct, you can use free online tools such as this one here Use to convert the number.

Roman numeral tattoo designs

The most common way to get Roman numeral tattoos is to choose a simple font that matches the numerals. The font in which the Romans themselves carved or wrote down their numbers in stone is called monumental script or lapidary script - they consist only of capital letters. There are numerous typefaces today that were inspired by ancient lapidary writing. For example "Trajan", "Forum", "Constantine" and many more.

However, there are ways you can personalize your tattoo - some ideas can be found here:

• Placement - This may sound simple, but of course where you place your tattoo matters. It could look particularly good on the wrist, on the ribs or on the chest.
• Font and Size - Just as important as placement is the font you choose for your tattoo and its size. With Roman numerals you have a lot of leeway and you can choose everything from thick black letters to narrow, filigree lines.
• Embellishments - To make it really personal, you can also consider adding embellishments to your Roman numerals. This could include floral motifs that wind around the number, but also all other symbols that you can think of and like about the number.
• Quotes - If your tattoo has a special meaning and the number alone isn't enough for you, you could add a quote or word that goes particularly well with it.