Show ContentsTristan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name of the Tristan family is derived from the ancient Cornish name Triston, whose meaning has been obscured by time.

Early Origins of the Tristan family

The surname Tristan was first found in Cornwall, where they held a family seat in ancient times.

Early History of the Tristan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tristan research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1207, 1296, 1379, 1622 and 1629 are included under the topic Early Tristan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tristan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tristram, Tristan, Tristam, Triston and others.

Early Notables of the Tristan family

More information is included under the topic Early Tristan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tristan Ranking

In the United States, the name Tristan is the 14,730th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Tristan is ranked the 7,965th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Tristan family to Ireland

Some of the Tristan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Tristan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tristan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francisca Tristan, who arrived in America in 1817 3
  • Diego Tristan, who landed in America in 1828 3
  • Luis Tristan, who landed in America in 1835 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Tristan (post 1700) +

  • Dorothy Tristan (1934-2023), American actress and screenwriter, best known for her roles in the films Klute (1971), Scarecrow (1973) and The Looking Glass (2015)
  • Jean-Paul Frédéric Tristan Baron (1931-2022), French writer
  • David Tristan Birkin (b. 1977), British actor
  • Charles Tristan Montholon (1783-1853), French soldier and diplomat
  • Tristan Wauchope, American writer, known for I Want to Forget (2023), Blue Skies (2016) and Her & Him (2021)
  • Tristan Cartledge (b. 1985), Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club and Essendon Football Club (2002-2008)
  • Tristan Nancarrow (b. 1964), Australian bronze medalist professional squash player who represented Australia in the 1993 World Team Squash Championships, step-son of Cam Nancarrow
  • Tristan O'Tierney (1984-2019), American computer scientist, co-founder of Square Inc
  • Tristan Honsinger (b. 1949), American cello player active in free jazz and free improvisation from Burlington, Vermont\
  • Tristan Purifoy (b. 1990), American football wide receiver for the Columbus Lions


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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