A Guide to "Outer Banks" Star Chase Stokes's Many Tiny Tattoos

Most of Stokes's tattoos are located on his right shoulder, including one of a dove with the words "Love, Joan" underneath. In an August 2021 interview with Wired, the actor revealed the ink was inspired by his late grandmother.

"A dove is always signifying that somebody is watching over you," he said, adding that the message was in his grandmother's handwriting. "When she passed, this was the last letter that she wrote to me, so I had a tattoo artist sketch it on my skin."

In that same interview, Stokes also showed off a small smiley-face tattoo on his wrist. "We named him Frank," Madelyn Cline, Stokes's "Outer Banks" costar, said.

While attending a basketball game in Atlanta in November 2021, Stokes debuted a rose tattoo on his right arm. He hasn't explained the meaning behind this design, although the rose is often a symbol of love and passion.

Stokes has a tattoo dedicated to another important woman in his life: his mother. He has the word "Mom" inked on his bicep with a heart and arrow around it. It seems the two are super close, because in a May 2013 Instagram post, which featured a throwback photo of Stokes and his mother, Jennifer Canning, the star said, "Once a mommas boy, always a mommas boy."

In an Aug. 6, 2022, Instagram post, tattoo artist Jacob Reiss shared a close-up of Stokes's latest ink: "1939." Weeks later, on Aug. 23, 2022, the actor shared a mirror selfie showing off all of his arm tattoos on Instagram, including his "1939" tattoo, but he didn't explain the meaning behind it. "idk buncha random sh*t. enjoy. or don't," he captioned his post, which featured a number of other photos and videos of his daily life. "i'm cool with both options."

Another one of Stokes' arm tattoos is the lit matchstick located under his dove tattoo on his shoulder. The meaning behind it remains a mystery, but according to TattooSEO, matchstick tattoos often symbolize "that there is a light to look toward" even in the darkness.

Stokes's has a phrase nestled between his rose and smiley-face tattoo that reads, "People are Strange" in what looks like someone's handwriting. He's never shared the meaning behind this ink.

Under his "mom" tattoo, Stokes has a bottle with what appears to be a message in it. He's never divulged the meaning of this ink.

On his outer bicep, Stokes has an ace of hearts playing card tattoo. It's a fine-line design with zero shading or additional details.

Above his realistic rose, Stokes has a script tattoo that reads "Playboy." He hasn't shared the significance behind the design.

Sometime in 2022, Stokes added a small design on his forearm of a skull wearing a cowboy hat.

On the outside of his bicep, Stokes has a new script tattoo that reads "Hello lover." He likely got the design sometime in 2023. Though we don't know the meaning, it's perhaps a nod to his relationship with Kelsea Ballerini.

Located near his elbow, just below the playing card and the bottle and above the "Playboy" ink, Stokes has a pair of dice inked. He got it in 2023 but hasn't shared the meaning behind it.