Ever wondered what your name means, or where it came from? I've been informed by a friend that it's a Cornish name (traditionally spelt Trystan) meaning "sorrowful labour". Not enamoured with that definition so I thought I'd dig a little deeper. I Googled for +Tristan +meaning and found the following:

A web site called Wedding Vendors claim that it's a Welsh name, meaning Clamour (loud confused noise/loud protest).

That doesn't really tie-in with what I was told before, but I kinda like it.

Baby-Names-World.com and Baby Name World state that the Welsh definition is "noisy one" and the Latin "labourer".

OK, so we've got different meanings depending on where you are. I still prefer the Welsh definition.

According to bubbaboo.com (where do they come up with these domain names?!!) it's a Celtic/Latin name meaning "sad".

Reflects what I was told initially

There is also the old Celtic Myth/Story of Tristan and Isolde (which is, I think, where my parents got the idea from). Behind the Name define it as "From the Celtic name Drystan, which was probably derived from drest meaning "riot" or "tumult". It is sometimes associated with Latin tristus "sad", but this connection is doubtful. In Celtic legend Tristan was sent to Ireland in order to fetch Isolde, who was to be the bride of King Mark of Cornwall. Instead, Tristan and Isolde end up falling in love."

This gets better and better!! Not only is the latin, sad link doubtful, I'm also named after a mythological hero and lover. Fantastic!!!

Google's search results are losing quality. Think I'll call it a day here. My friend's synposis certainly holds true. The French word for sad is "triste". That could have derived from the same latin origin.

The Welsh meaning is completely new to me. I feel a bit better about it all now!! This is particularly apt for me, as my parents tell me that I had cerebral irritability when I was born, causing me to scream my lungs out for the first few months of my life. So much so, that they were sent home with me as I was keeping all the other babies awake!!! I really feel for them. As well as me creating a din 24x7, they also had my then three-year-old brother to look after. Not an enviable task. Thanks guys! ;o)