Tristan is different from
Ashley,
Leslie, and
Courtney - in my book! - because the latter three are not real names, they are surnames.
Tristan is a real name. Converting
Ashley from a boys' name to a girls' name is ridiculous, but the ridiculosity started when it was converted to a boys' name in the first place. Girls named
Tristan is like girls named
James,
Altair, and
William -
real names that parents of baby girls thought would make their girls powerful and distinctive.
I wouldn't use
Ashley,
Leslie, and
Courtney. Nor would I use
Mackenzie or
Addison. I also do not mourn the loss of
Kyle,
Ryan, and
Riley to girls, since they were not originally boys' names in the first place - that is, i do not mourn them any more than I would mourn any random surname on girls. (I do mourn
Logan, but I mourned him for becoming popular on boys too, since
Logan is a family surname for me and I find it infuriating how it is used.) But I would use
Morgan or
Tristan in a second, if I loved them.
I am rather a surname purist. Surnames are
amazing when they are family and I think very distasteful when not.
On a totally separate note, girls' names that end in -n really irk me as being masculine and ugly lately.
Kristen is weirdly masculine.
Lillian I can picture on a boy easily.
Alison always makes me uncomfortable.