Trista \t-ris-ta, tr(i)-sta\ as a girl's name is pronounced TRISS-tah. It is of English origin. Feminine form of Tristan and/or a rhyming variant of Christa. The spelling of Trysta suggests the English word "tryst", usually taken to mean a romantic appointment to meet. The source was the name of a tragic male lover of Celtic legend. A young knight sent to retrieve Isolde, his king's betrothed, from Ireland, they fall in love but the romance ended in grief. This ancient name might derive from a Pictish original, Drostan, but the form was influenced by the French term "triste", meaning "sad". Tristan is used more for boys than for girls; Tristan variants serve as alternatives to names like Kristen and Christine. A woman named Trista Rehn appeared in the 2002 reality show "The Bachelorette".

Trista has 9 variant forms: Tristan, Tristana, Tristen, Tristin, Tristina, Tristyn, Trysta, Trystan and Trystin.

Baby names that sound like Trista are Teresita, Terasita, Tersita and Tristenna.