Tristram is a variant of Tristan. A Welsh given name, it originates from the Brythonic name Drust or Drustanus. It derives from a stem meaning "noise", seen in the modern Welsh noun trwst (plural trystau) and the verb trystio "to clatter". The name has also been interpreted as meaning "bold."
Gender | Male (rare to be female) |
---|---|
Origin | |
Word/name | Welsh / Old Brythonic |
Meaning | Welsh origin: "noise of arms", "resonance of iron" or "clanking sword" |
Other names | |
Related names | Tristan. |
This version of the name was popularised after the 1759 publication of Laurence Sterne's novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.
People with the name
edit- Sir Tristram Beresford, 1st Baronet (died 1673), Irish Member of Parliament
- Sir Tristram Beresford, 3rd Baronet (1669–1701), Irish Member of Parliament, grandson of the above
- Tristram Benjamin Bethea (1810–1876), American lawyer and politician
- Tristram Cary (1925–2008), British-Australian pioneering electronic music composer
- Tristram Coffin (disambiguation)
- Tristram Conyers (1619–1684), English lawyer and politician
- H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr. (1941–2018), American philosopher
- Tristram Hillier (1905–1983), English painter
- Tristram Hunt (born 1974), British politician, historian and journalist
- Tristram Kennedy (1805–1885), Irish politician and lawyer
- Tristram Powell (25 April 1940 – 1 March 2024), English television and film director, producer and screenwriter
- Tristram Shapeero (born 1966), British television director
- Tris Speaker (1888–1958), American Hall-of-Fame baseball player
- Tristram Speedy (1836–1911), English explorer and adventurer
- Tristram Stuart (born 12 March 1977), English activist and author
- Tristram Tyrwhitt (c. 1530–1590), English Member of Parliament
- Tristram Welman (1849–1931), English amateur cricketer
Surname
edit- David Tristram (born 1957), English comic playwright
- Ernest William Tristram (1882–1952), British art historian, artist and conservator
- Henry Baker Tristram (1822–1906), English clergyman and ornithologist
- John William Tristram (1870–1938), Australian painter
- Katharine Tristram (1858–1948), English Anglican missionary and teacher in Japan
- Ruth Mary Tristram (1886-1950), British amateur botanist