Tristan

“Sorrowful (via French 'triste'); from a Celtic root for tumult” — Celtic via French origin

Boy's name · #309 in the US (2025) · 2000s

Tristan reached its best rank, #68, in 1996 and ranked #309 in 2025. In a single year its births jumped from about 490 in 1994 to 3,100 in 1995 — the year Brad Pitt's Tristan filled theaters in Legends of the Fall. A popular twin pairing with Tristan is Trinity for a girl.

Around the world: about 1 in 480 boys in Slovenia (2025) · about 1 in 660 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 830 boys in N. Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 49 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Tristans

Tristan Tzara — Romanian-French poet (1896–1963)
Tristan Bernard — French playwright (1866–1947)
Tristan Corbière — French poet
Tristan Thompson — Canadian basketball player
Tristan Wilds — American actor

In stories & tradition

Tristan — Tristan and Iseult · The Divine Comedy
Tristan Taylor — Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light · Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Tristan von Lahnstein — Verbotene Liebe

What Tristans become

Among 638 notable people named Tristan:

Entertainers appear 1.45× more often than among typical names — e.g. Tristan Wilds, American actor.

Similar names: Tristen · Collin · Trey · Marco · Cristian · Fabian

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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