Triston

Triston is an Americanized respelling of Tristan, a name of Celtic origin. Tristan, like the older version of the name Drustan, dates back to medieval times originating from Celtic legend, most notably as the hero of a popular tragic/romance story known as “Tristan and Isolde.” There are several variations of the narrative, but we’ll give you the abridged version. After the fall of the Roman Empire (6th century), the King of Cornwall, Mark, sends his nephew Tristan to fetch the king’s future bride, an Irish princess named Isolde. Once Tristan reaches Isolde, the two of them accidentally drink a love-potion that was meant for Isolde and Mark on their wedding night. As a consequence, Tristan and Isolde fall madly in love which infuriates the king. The legends diverge greatly from here, but in most cases in the end, Tristan dies of grief without Isolde by his side and she is left swooning over his grave. For more information on this Celtic love story, see literary references on the Tristan page. Our research shows differing etymological origins for the name Tristan. Many think the name was influenced by way of the French, from the Latin word “tristis” which means “sad”, in reference to the young man’s tragic fate. Tristan is also a name which has been linked to the Picts (a now-defunct Celtic tribe that emerged at the time of the Gaels in Scotland), and their commonly used given name Drest/Drust, a diminutive of Drustan. The Celtic word “drest” means “riot, tumult” which is also in keeping with Tristan’s love calamity. The popular legend also inspired a 19th century opera, “Tristan und Isolde,” composed by Richard Wagner. Tristen, Tristin and Triston have all developed into alternate spellings of the classical Tristan. Such arbitrary spelling changes are most common – if not almost exclusive – to the United States.