What Does a 3 Hearts Tattoo Mean? A Complete Guide to the Symbolism and Design Ideas

At the core, a 3 hearts tattoo represents past, present and future love. The trio of hearts forms a connected circle to symbolize the continuity of love, passion and devotion over the course of life. But the classic design also allows for deep personalization and interpretation.

The Meaning Behind 3 Hearts

A 3 hearts tattoo is often assumed to signify stages of love:

1. Love from the past – The first heart honors nostalgia, previous relationships and lost loves that remain in memory
2. Love in the present – The second heart focuses on current feelings and connections
3. Love for the future – The third heart looks forward with optimism towards experiences yet to come

By linking three hearts together in one symbol, the tattoo expresses how love links the past, present and future into one enduring storyline.

According to custom tattoo designer site Custom Tattoo Design:

"Three Hearts Tattoo Designs: this three-part tattoo design represents one‘s love of the past, love of the present, and love of the future. It symbolizes one‘s ever-changing motivations and passions in life."

So in short – the 3 hearts tattoo generally represents the evolution of love over the full scope of life.

Common Design Styles and Placements

The classic 3 hearts tattoo style involves three identical or slightly varied heart shapes interlocking in a continuous design. But artists and bearers often add unique styling elements to make the piece more personalized.

Design Elements

• Heart shapes designed uniformly or differently
• Overlapping hearts
• Hearts linked together or intertwined
• Additional visuals like flowers or arrows
• One heart highlighted in color
• Heart beat lines
• Banner with text

According to Pinterest, over 41% of saved 3 hearts tattoo pins incorporate personal initials or names, while 32% include additional meaningful symbols.

Image from Pinterest

Placements

Three heart tattoo designs work well just about anywhere, but some popular placements include:

• Wrist/forearm
• Shoulder
• Ankle
• Behind the ear
• Over the actual heart

Picking tattoo placement spot adds an extra layer of symbolism for the wearer. For example:

• A visible forearm tattoo signifies a public display of love
• A behind the ear spot keeps the message more private
• An over the heart position emphasizes emotional sentiment

Meaning Variations and Interpretations

While the standard assumed meaning revolves around stages of affection, there are many other ways to interpret or customize a 3 hearts tattoo:

Cultural Variants

• In Chinese culture, the 3 hearts symbol is connected to the yin-yang philosophy – with each heart representing the "chi" or life-force energy of heaven, earth and humanity.
• Native American art often links 3 hearts imagery to guidance from ancestral spirits or animal totems from the past, present and future.
• A Celtic themed 3 hearts tattoo combines the hearts with triquetra knots or triskele swirls, which emphasize the magical power of three.

Design Variations

• Heart shapes designed to represent different family members
• Infinity hearts to stress everlasting love
• Each heart containing visuals matching the past, present and future stages of life
• Geometric abstract hearts
• Anatomical heart shapes

Alternative Meanings

• In tarot, the 3 of Hearts card represents community, friendships and gatherings
• A more religious take associates the trio with faith in the Holy Trinity
• For some, 3 signifies life-work-hobby balance

Numbers of Hearts

The motifs can be customized by mix and matching heart quantities:

• 2 hearts – partnership, marriage
• 4 hearts – symbol for family
• 5 hearts – representation of major life stages

And the list goes on for putting unique spins on the classic design…

Over 20+ heart tattoo mix and match ideas:

Final Thoughts

While a 3 hearts tattoo generally centers on the stages of love from past to future, the classic symbol can be mixed, matched and customized to highlight just about any passion or interest. The core concept endures as a classic, but the variations help cement deep personal meaning for each unique wearer.