Tristram Group
Question:
anaclarac
Student
Graduate School
What is the etymology of the name "Tristram"?
Answers:
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eNotes Editor
Posted by urthona on Friday August 8, 2008 at 1:24 PMThere was no consensus in the sources that I checked, but Tristram (or Tristan) appears to be from Old French, altered (influenced by the Latin word tristis, meaning “sad” [triste in French]) from the Celtic male name Drystan, which was derived from drest, meaning “tumult or din.”
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linda-allen Teacher
High School - 10th GradeeNotes Editor
Posted by linda-allen on Friday August 8, 2008 at 1:35 PMI like questions like this. The name "Tristram" is the English form of the Welsh name "Drystan." Other forms of the name are Tristan and Tristam. The origin of the name is French "triste," from the Latin "tristis," which translate as "sad" in English.
Famous Tristrams include:
- the medieval knight who was sent to Ireland by King Mark of Cornwall to bring back the princess Isolde (sometimes spelled Iseult) to be the king's bride; tragically, Isolde and Tristram fall in love and eventually die.
- Tristram Shandy, the main character in Laurence Sterne's novel "The Life and Adventures of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman."
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