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Tristan

Boy name · 504 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Tristan: 504 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 30 births in 2011.

Of Arthurian legend, Tristan is a name of Celtic origin, likely derived from the Pictish name *Drystan*, itself from the Celtic root *trusto-* meaning "sorrowful" or "sad." The most famous bearer is the tragic knight of Arthurian romance, Tristan, whose love for the beautiful Iseult is one of the great medieval tales of passion and heartbreak. In Scotland, the name is shared with Tristan da Cunha, the remote volcanic archipelago in the South Atlantic, named after the Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha. A notable variant is the Welsh form Drystan, while the modern English spelling was popularised by Richard Wagner's opera *Tristan und Isolde*. From the 1980s onward, especially after the film *Tristan + Isolde*, the name has seen steady, romantic use in Scotland.