Puffin on a Headstone: Meaning

With its bright beak and serious little face, the Atlantic puffin is one of the North Atlantic's best-loved birds. Puffins spend most of the year at sea and return each summer to the same cliffs — and often the same partner — making them a lovely symbol of home.

What it means

A bird of the North Atlantic

The Atlantic puffin is the official bird of Newfoundland and Labrador, and large colonies nest on islands off Newfoundland, Maine, Iceland and Scotland. Pairs often reunite at the same burrow year after year. For outport families and anyone tied to the sea, the puffin is part of the landscape of home.

Design ideas

• A puffin on a grassy sea cliff with waves below.
• Two puffins together for a couple.
• A puffin with a beak full of fish.
• A puffin beside a lighthouse — see lighthouse meaning.

Who it suits

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, Maritimers, people from Maine and Iceland, fishers, birdwatchers and anyone who loved the North Atlantic coast. See headstone ideas for a sailor or boater.

Colour on a headstone

Much of a puffin's charm is its orange beak and feet. On black granite, an etched puffin can be hand-tinted in orange, or a small colour ceramic can be added. Ask how long tints last in your climate. See headstone lettering colours.

Coastal cemeteries

Salt spray and wind are tough on stone. Dense, polished granite with deep lettering holds up best by the sea. See best headstones for coastal cemeteries.

Epitaphs to pair

• Home to the Rock.
• Back to the sea.
• Safe in harbour.
• They that go down to the sea in ships. (Psalm 107:23)

Key Takeaways

• Puffins mean the sea, home and faithful partnership.
• The Atlantic puffin is Newfoundland and Labrador's bird.
• Pairs often return to the same burrow each year.
• Choose dense granite for coastal cemeteries.

Next Step

See headstone quotes about the sea and memorial for someone lost at sea.