信托人的称谓常出现信托关系中；信托关系中的委托人就可称为信托人。

根据《中华人民共和国信托法》（2001年4月28日第九届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第二十一次会议通过）第二条规定：“本法所称信托，是指委托人基于对受托人的信任，将其财产权委托给受托人，由受托人按委托人的意愿以自己的名义，为受益人的利益或者特定目的，进行管理或者处分的行为。”；第三条规定：“委托人、受托人、受益人（以下统称信托当事人）在中华人民共和国境内进行民事、营业、公益信托活动，适用本法。”。 由此可见，所谓信托人就信托关系中的委托人，是信托当事人之一；信托的定义也可转化为：信托人基于对受托人的信任，将其财产权委托给受托人，由受托人按信托人的意愿以自己的名义，为受益人的利益或者特定目的进行管理或者处分的行为。

In law a settlor is a person who settles property on trust law for the benefit of beneficiaries. In some legal systems, a settlor is also referred to as a trustor, or occasionally, a grantor or donor. Where the trust is a testamentary trust, the settlor is usually referred to as the testator. The settlor may also be the trustee of the trust (where he declares that he holds his own property on trusts) or a third party may be the trustee (where he transfers the property to the trustee on trusts). In British common law it has been held, controversially, that where a trustee declares an intention to transfer trust property to a trust of which he is one of several trustees, that is a valid settlement notwithstanding the property is not vested in the other trustees.