Tristan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TRIS-tan
- Origin
- Celtic
- UK rank, 2025
- #275 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #309 for boys
Tristan is a boys' name of Celtic origin, meaning “tumult”. In 2025 it ranked 275th for boys in the UK (186 babies) and 309th for boys in the US (1,103 babies).
What does Tristan mean?
Celtic: from Brythonic Drustan, via French
“tumult”
Hero of the medieval romance Tristan and Iseult; the spelling was influenced by French triste, sad.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Tristan a girl's or a boy's name?
Tristan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 186 boys in the UK and 22 girls and 1,103 boys in the US.
How popular is Tristan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 275th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 186 about 1 in 1,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 186 boys in the UK were named Tristan, making it the 275th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 238th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 551 boys.
2025 had the fewest boys named Tristan since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Tristan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 199 boys in the UK were given Tristan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #269, up from #275 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 273rd in England and Wales, 333rd in Scotland and 199th in Northern Ireland.
Tristan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 186 | #275 |
| 2024 | 213 | #249 |
| 2023 | 232 | #234 |
| 2022 | 206 | #254 |
| 2021 | 246 | #234 |
| 2020 | 235 | #238 |
| 2019 | 264 | #220 |
| 2018 | 318 | #189 |
| 2017 | 343 | #179 |
| 2016 | 386 | #174 |
| 2015 | 365 | #180 |
| 2014 | 372 | #172 |
| 2013 | 452 | #146 |
| 2012 | 501 | #136 |
| 2011 | 532 | #132 |
| 2010 | 551 | #127 |
| 2009 | 531 | #126 |
| 2008 | 493 | #134 |
| 2007 | 468 | #136 |
| 2006 | 451 | #138 |
| 2005 | 314 | #168 |
| 2004 | 306 | #164 |
| 2003 | 316 | #159 |
| 2002 | 262 | #165 |
| 2001 | 224 | #177 |
| 2000 | 257 | #160 |
| 1999 | 237 | #164 |
| 1998 | 266 | #153 |
| 1997 | 267 | #155 |
| 1996 | 254 | #152 |
How popular is Tristan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 309th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 1,103 about 1 in 1,500 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 52% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 1,103 boys in the US were named Tristan, making it the 309th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 182nd. Its busiest year was 2008, with 5,659 boys. It first appears in the records in 1946. 22 girls were also named Tristan in 2025 (5,553rd for girls).
It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 10 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Tristan than any year since 1994.
Half of all the boys named Tristan in the US since 1880 were born between 1999 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,348 boys in the US were given Tristan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #277, up from #309 for this spelling alone.
Girls were 16% of the babies named Tristan in the US in 1963, and 2% in 2025.
Tristan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,103 | #309 |
| 2024 | 1,302 | #267 |
| 2023 | 1,382 | #253 |
| 2022 | 1,600 | #225 |
| 2021 | 1,825 | #208 |
| 2020 | 2,124 | #182 |
| 2019 | 2,573 | #151 |
| 2018 | 3,230 | #123 |
| 2017 | 3,309 | #121 |
| 2016 | 3,639 | #108 |
| 2015 | 3,927 | #101 |
| 2014 | 3,927 | #98 |
| 2013 | 4,016 | #96 |
| 2012 | 4,441 | #88 |
| 2011 | 4,732 | #87 |
| 2010 | 4,899 | #84 |
| 2009 | 5,350 | #80 |
| 2008 | 5,659 | #81 |
| 2007 | 5,340 | #87 |
| 2006 | 5,414 | #86 |
| 2005 | 3,591 | #113 |
| 2004 | 3,481 | #115 |
| 2003 | 3,634 | #112 |
| 2002 | 3,725 | #103 |
| 2001 | 3,575 | #108 |
| 2000 | 3,531 | #105 |
| 1999 | 3,845 | #99 |
| 1998 | 4,169 | #92 |
| 1997 | 4,197 | #92 |
| 1996 | 5,458 | #68 |
| 1995 | 3,088 | #121 |
| 1994 | 492 | #451 |
| 1993 | 567 | #408 |
| 1992 | 622 | #372 |
| 1991 | 724 | #336 |
| 1990 | 753 | #330 |
| 1989 | 764 | #312 |
| 1988 | 803 | #287 |
| 1987 | 934 | #246 |
| 1986 | 923 | #243 |
| 1985 | 1,061 | #222 |
| 1984 | 873 | #251 |
| 1983 | 854 | #248 |
| 1982 | 762 | #275 |
| 1981 | 400 | #415 |
| 1980 | 208 | #602 |
| 1979 | 167 | #660 |
| 1978 | 132 | #732 |
| 1977 | 118 | #786 |
| 1976 | 110 | #790 |
| 1975 | 113 | #780 |
| 1974 | 95 | #825 |
| 1973 | 72 | #948 |
| 1972 | 77 | #911 |
| 1971 | 90 | #859 |
| 1970 | 63 | #1,023 |
| 1969 | 50 | #1,097 |
| 1968 | 49 | #1,057 |
| 1967 | 29 | #1,410 |
| 1966 | 34 | #1,298 |
| 1965 | 22 | #1,668 |
| 1964 | 17 | #1,974 |
| 1963 | 26 | #1,547 |
| 1962 | 22 | #1,712 |
| 1961 | 13 | #2,321 |
| 1960 | 10 | #2,683 |
| 1959 | 12 | #2,413 |
| 1958 | 6 | #3,557 |
| 1957 | 7 | #3,255 |
| 1956 | 15 | #2,090 |
| 1955 | 9 | #2,763 |
| 1954 | 5 | #3,825 |
| 1953 | 9 | #2,708 |
| 1952 | 12 | #2,250 |
| 1951 | 7 | #3,064 |
| 1950 | 7 | #3,020 |
| 1949 | 5 | #3,688 |
| 1948 | 9 | #2,607 |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 5 | #3,523 |
Nicknames for Tristan
- Tris
Names like Tristan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ethan, Dylan, Logan, Evan, Mason, Lucas, Tyler, Ali, Jayden, Nathan, Toby, Grayson
Other spellings of Tristan
Names related to Tristan
More Celtic names
Arthur, Imogen, Gael, Harvey, Alana, Alan, Vienna, Lana, Alaina, Sabrina, Alanna, Bryce, Devon, Arturo, Alannah, Cedric
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Tristan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tristan, updated 20 October 2026.