Poppy Tattoo Meaning: Remembrance, Sleep, Dreams and Peace

Short answer: a poppy tattoo most often means remembrance. Since the First World War the red poppy has honoured soldiers who died, and many people now wear one for a grandparent, a parent or anyone they have lost. Older meanings are sleep, dreams and peace, because the poppy was linked with the gods of sleep in Greek myth. The poppy is also a birth flower for August, so it can simply mark a birthday.

Poppies are bright, simple and look beautiful in fine line or soft colour. Here is what each meaning comes from and how to design one that heals well.

Remembrance

During the First World War, red poppies grew across the churned-up battlefields of Belgium and northern France. In 1915 the Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields, which begins with poppies blowing between the crosses. After the war the red poppy became the flower of remembrance, worn around Remembrance Day on 11 November in the UK, Canada and other Commonwealth countries, and for Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand.

As a tattoo, a poppy can honour someone who served, or more widely anyone you want to remember. A poppy with a name, a date or a handwriting sample is a quiet memorial. For portraits and other memorial ideas, see our memorial tattoo guide.

Sleep, dreams and peace

Long before the war, the poppy meant sleep. The opium poppy makes people drowsy, so the ancient Greeks linked it with Hypnos, the god of sleep, and his son Morpheus, the god of dreams. In one myth, Demeter could only rest after losing her daughter Persephone when she was given poppies. The same idea appears in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where a field of poppies sends Dorothy to sleep.

So a poppy can also mean rest, peaceful sleep, imagination, or a loved one now at peace.

Poppy colours

• Red: remembrance, love and sacrifice. This is the classic choice.
• White: peace. White poppies have been worn since the 1930s as a symbol of remembrance together with a hope for no more war.
• Orange or yellow: joy and energy. The orange California poppy is the state flower of California.
• Pink or purple: imagination, beauty and calm. These colours work well in a softer, watercolour look.

Birth flower and other meanings

The poppy is one of the birth flowers for August, alongside the gladiolus, so it is a popular birthday or family tattoo. Some people also combine poppies with other flowers to show different family members; our flower meanings guide and rose guide help you mix them. If you prefer a birth symbol without flowers, see our birthstone tattoo guide.

Design and placement

• Style: fine line with soft colour shading suits the paper-thin petals. A loose watercolour look also works well.
• Script: a long stem is a natural line for a word or short quote running down the body.
• Placement: the ribs, the side of the body, the forearm, the ankle or the collarbone. A tall poppy with its stem suits a vertical spot.
• Red ink: red is the colour most often linked with ink reactions. Most people have no problem, but if you have reacted to red ink before, read our ink allergy guide first.
• Contrast: a thin black outline or dark centre keeps the poppy readable as the red softens over the years.

At GOAT Tattoo Studio

Our gallery includes two red poppies in fine line and soft colour on the ribs, with small moon and dot details above and the script “Trust your journey” running down the stem. At your consultation we can help you choose the size, the colour and a personal detail, such as a name or a date.

Planning a small or fine line tattoo in Hanoi? Our fine line and small tattoo page shows prices, the artists who do this style and recent work.