Actually he could do worse than Mistral. And most people do!

But first things first: What's the tattoo about? And where will it be going?

hhp

Nouvelle Vague
http://typographica.org/typeface-reviews/nouvelle-vague/

Sacre Bleu
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mvbfonts/sacre-bleu/

Whatever typeface your friend chooses, make sure it is not set allcaps....

Why not ask the tattoo artist to prepare some roughs of your friend’s name (on paper, if spare skin not available)? After all, this is lettering, not typography, and a typeface should really only suggest a general style or starting point. Besides, it is doubtful that the lettering will be an exact rendering of the typeface.

But perhaps I am wrong, and tattoo artists work as mere technicians, going over a printed temporary decal or some such thing—I’m not familiar with the state of this art.

Maybe refer your friend to sites like these:
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665318/the-8-worst-fonts-in-the-world
http://www.creativepro.com/article/bad-fonts
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/fonts-to-avoid/

Whatever typeface your friend chooses, make sure it is not set allcaps....