I've never known a single
Tristan and have only read of a female
Tristan in a ballet recital program once years ago. It just looked wrong to me all the way around. The problem is, it's so similar to
Kristin /
Kristen that the rather feminine association is there, however,
Tristan is solely masculine to me.
Growing up, I had always felt sorry for the male Kellys, Leslies, Courtneys and Tracys. Now as an adult, two of my male favorites are "soft" (
Leo and
Ian). To answer your question, even though my middle dd's mn is
Brooke, I wouldn't go the gender-bending route. I'm just too traditional. Anyway,
Brooke's name was more nature inspired than surnamey or masculine. That was the appeal for me.