All of Hilary Duff’s tattoos and what they mean

Hilary Duff may have played good girl Lizzie McGuire on TV, but she’s all grown up now.

The “How I Met Your Father” actress, 34, has gone from young star to teen queen to rom-com leading lady, and while she still has the same blond locks fans know and love, Duff has added quite a bit of body ink over the year.

In fact, the mom of three is covered in more than 20 small tattoos, and has lost track of just how many she has, especially since many aren’t in clearly visible locations.

While Duff generally has a lot of “earthy” and nature-inspired designs, she also isn’t afraid to ink matching tattoos with friends and have fun with the designs, as she revealed while stripping nude for Women’s Health magazine in 2022.

Below, see all of Hilary Duff’s tattoos and learn their meanings.

“mother”

Duff is mom to three children — Luca, 10, whom she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie, as well as Banks, 3, and Mae, 1, with current husband Matthew Koma — and decided to have the word “mother” inked on her neck. The design could be a bit of a double entendre, as she also stars in the remake of “How I Met Your Mother.”

“Luca”

Before her second marriage and subsequent children, Duff tattooed her eldest’s name on her wrist.

“Take Fountain”

Having been in the industry for so long, it’s no wonder Duff looks up to Hollywood greats like Bette Davis. In fact, she even had a memorable quote from the “Death on the Nile” actress tattooed. When Johnny Carson asked Davis the best way for aspiring young starlets to get into Hollywood, she quipped, “Take Fountain,” as that street will literally get you there quicker than will Santa Monica Boulevard or Sunset Boulevard.

“At first I thought, ‘I hope that people don’t think that the idea behind it is taking a shortcut,’ because that’s not what my intention was by any means — it’s supposed to be sassy, because this town is hard,” Duff told Refinery29 of the ink.

“For [Bette Davis] to sit there and think of her answer and come back with that? People ask me all the time, what kind of advice do you have for young actors, but there is no one thing, there’s no one formula, so for her to say, ‘Take Fountain [Avenue]’ — it’s brilliant. And I have been there, trying to get to three auditions in one day and just stuck on Santa Monica Boulevard. The meaning for me was not taking the main road, so it is funny, but it also has a little more meaning to me.”

Smiling Post-it note

Some messages are just pure fun. Duff has a Post-it note with a smiley face drawn on as “a daily reminder to remember all the things I have in my life that make me happy,” as she told Women’s Health.

“stand by me”

Near her inner elbow, the actress has a phrase that likely refers to the Ben E. King song.

“Let It Be”

Another musical tat, this Beatles tribute is located on Duff’s ankle.

Her “two cents”

One of many matching tattoos, Duff and friend Alanna Masterson each put their “two cents” in, inking a coin on their arms.

Swallow

Lots of Duff’s tattoos nod to nature, animals and flora, including this bird near her elbow that “doesn’t really mean anything,” according to the actress.

Arrow through crescent moon

Keeping with the nature theme is an arrow through a crescent moon and mini stars on Duff’s inner bicep. She also has a star on the back of her neck.

Roses

Near the moon are a pair of roses, inked by celebrity tattoo artist Dr. Woo in 2016.

Sun

Celebrity tattoo artist Winterstone is responsible for this fine-line sun.

Snake

Introducing more animals to her collection of body art, Duff has a snake winding up her arm, which the actress told Women’s Health her daughter calls “magic.”

“ride or die” ghosts

Another matching set with Masterson, this kooky ghost has the words “ride or die” written at the bottom.

“Thick as Thieves”

This phrase was a fitting pick for her matching tats with sister Haylie Duff.

“bk”

Duff apparently loved living in Brooklyn so much while filming “Younger” that she had “bk” tattooed forever. And never one to go under the needle alone, Duff enlisted friend Lauren to get the same design.

Saturn

In January 2022, Duff and “Younger” co-star Molly Bernard got matching ringed planets.

Wildflowers

Duff has tiny flowers inked on the outside of her elbow.

Butterfly

A small butterfly sits on Duff’s left hip. She also has a hidden tat on her pelvis, though she’s never revealed the design or its meaning.

“ma petite amie”

French for “girlfriend,” Duff has the term of endearment on her rib cage.

Anchor

On her inner ankle is a tiny anchor.

Red heart

Her only colored tattoo is a small red heart, done in 2013.

Wishbone

One of Duff’s oldest tattoos is a wishbone near her wrist.