Consider a design that symbolizes your heritage, such as a flag or other symbols, and have your artist scale it down to an appropriate size. It can be a symbol of your current nationality or that of your ancestors. People with a variety of nationalities may consider a tattoo that blends them all together, such as a small clover filled in with the colors of the Swedish flag, if you happen to be Irish and Swedish.
Most initials are only two to three letters and you can choose to tattoo your own initials as a personal design or those of a loved one to make it a memorial or homage design. There are a multitude of fonts and styles to choose from when selecting a script tattoo, but you can also design the font yourself to make it even more personal. If the initials are an homage or memorial tattoo, consider having the person to whom you are paying homage design the font.
For a small tattoo representing your birth date, you can choose between having just the string of numbers tattooed or incorporating them into an artistic design. Consider a small bar code with the SKU number replaced by the eight digits that make up your birth date, such as 09091983 if you were born Sept. 9th, 1983. You can tattoo the image of the bar code from the back of your favorite book, DVD or any other item of merchandise you have an affinity towards, or simply tattoo a random one.
For many people, religion is one of the most important aspects of their lives. If you would like your first tattoo to represent your particular faith, consider a small symbol that does so. Christians might want a small crucifix or crown of thorns, while Buddhists may consider a small praying Buddha or the infinity symbol of a horizontal 8. Remember that these tattoos are not restricted to only hardcore followers -- anyone who finds beauty in a particular faith, but chooses not to follow it, can still tattoo a symbol of that faith.