Tristen
Tristan, Tristram, or Tristen is a given name derived from Welsh drust, influenced by the French word triste and Welsh/Cornish/Breton trist, both of which mean "bold" or "sad", "sorrowful".
- English
Meaning & Origin of Tristen
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Tristan, Tristram, or Tristen is a given name derived from Welsh drust, influenced by the French word triste and Welsh/Cornish/Breton trist, both of which mean "bold" or "sad", "sorrowful".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Tristen
As a girl name
American parents first put Tristen on the record books as a girl name in 1968, with 9 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1996, when 290 Tristens were born — ranking #722 that year. About 40% of every Tristen on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. Tristen last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Tristen as a boy name dates back to 1975, when 6 babies received it. 1996 was its biggest year on record, with 1,188 newborns named Tristen — #249 in the national rankings. About 43% of every Tristen on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Tristen ranks #1,828 for boys with 90 births, falling sharply (-57%). All told, over 21K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Tristen
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Tristen. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Tristen
Phonetically similar names — useful when Tristen is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tristen
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About the name Tristen
Tristen is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1975 and has accumulated 21K births in the dataset. Tristen's peak popularity came in 1996 when it ranked #249. Use the chart and map above to compare Tristen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1996 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.