Why are Celtic symbols such as knotwork so popular among people getting tattoos today? The popularity of Celtic tattoos seems to be running at about the same rate as the overall increase in popularity of tattoos in general. In other words, twenty or more years ago, only a small minority of people had tattoos. And few of these had any Celtic symbolism. But the new generation of tattoo fans are very drawn to Celtic symbols. celtic tattoos are not, of course, the only popular kind. Many other tribal designs are also widely used. But possibly the Celtic knotwork and crosses provide a very good basic structure for tattoos. They also have a strong mystical meaning.