Find out how popular the last name Tristan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tristan.

Tristan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tristan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tristan in America

Tristan is the 7199th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tristan surname appeared 4,642 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Tristan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tristan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tristan

The surname Tristan originated in medieval France, derived from the Old French name Tristram, which itself came from the Breton name Dristan or Drystan. This name is believed to have its roots in the Celtic Brythonic language, and may be related to words meaning "sad" or "sorrowful".

The name Tristan gained widespread fame and popularity through the tragic romantic legend of Tristan and Iseult, a story of forbidden love that first appeared in the 12th century. This tale, which likely has its origins in older Celtic folklore, was popularized by the medieval Norman poet Béroul and the Anglo-Norman poet Thomas of Britain, among others.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tristan can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1195, where a Richard Tristan is mentioned. In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a William Tristan is listed.

The surname Tristan has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For example, there was a village called Tristram in Northumberland, England, which was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1197. Similarly, there was a place named Tristremville in Normandy, France, which was mentioned in records from the 13th century.

One of the earliest and most famous individuals with the surname Tristan was Louis Tristan, a French painter and engraver who lived from 1636 to 1704. He is known for his engravings of portraits and religious scenes, and his work was highly regarded during his lifetime.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Tristan (1512-1580), an English poet and courtier who served under King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. He is best known for his translations of Italian works into English, including the first English translation of Petrarch's sonnets.

In the 18th century, there was François Tristan l'Hermite (1601-1655), a French dramatist and writer who is considered one of the founders of the French tragicomedy genre. His most famous works include "La Marianne" and "Le Paradis de plaisirs spirituels".

In the field of science, one cannot overlook the contributions of Louis Tristan (1748-1817), a French mathematician and astronomer who worked extensively on calculating the orbits of comets and asteroids.

Finally, in the realm of literature, we have the French writer and philosopher Paul Tristan (1913-1976), whose works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition. His novel "L'Étranger éternel" (The Eternal Stranger) is considered a classic of 20th-century French literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tristan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tristan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tristan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tristan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tristan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tristan, please contact us.

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