Idris (name)
Idris is both a Welsh and an Arabic given name, also given as surname; the Welsh and Arabic names are not related and have two different etymologies.
Welsh: 'Ardent lord', from udd + ris. It lends its name to the mountain Cadair Idris by way of Idris Gawr. The story of Idris Gawr is believed to have come from the monkish king Idris of Meirionnydd, who was slain in a battle with Oswald of Northumbria on the River Severn. This indicates that the name may well have been used in Wales before his final stand in 632.
Arabic : Idris, the Islamic prophet mentioned in the Qur'an, usually identified with Enoch in the Bible. The original meaning may be "interpreter". The name Idris means studious, smart, or to learn in Arabic. The prophet Idris in the Islamic religion was a tailor and is believed to be the first person to write.
People with the name
Given name
- Idriss Aberkane, French professor, author, and entrepreneur of Algerian descent
- Idris Bell, British museum curator, papyrologist and scholar of Welsh literature
- Idris Bitlisi, Kurdish religious scholar and Ottoman administrator
- Idris Cox, Welsh communist activist and newspaper editor
- Idris Davies, Welsh poet
- Idris Charles, Welsh language comedian, actor, TV presenter and writer
- Idris Elba, OBE, English actor, writer, producer, musician, DJ, rapper, singer and boxer
- Idris Foster, Welsh scholar
- Idris Gawr, "Idris the Giant", a king of Meirionnydd in early medieval Wales, traditionally also an astronomer
- İdris Güllüce, Turkish civil engineer, politician and government minister
- Idris Hopkins, Welsh footballer
- Idris Jones, Welsh industrial chemist and rugby union player
- Idris Jones, English-born Anglican bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church
- Idris Abdul Karim, Malaysian footballer
- Idris Khattak, Pakistani human rights activist who has been missing since 2019
- İdris Küçükömer, Turkish academic, philosopher and economist
- Idris Lewis, Welsh conductor and composer
- Idris Miles, Welsh footballer
- Idris Mohamed, Comorian footballer
- Idrish Mondal, Bengali politician
- Idris Muhammad, American jazz drummer
- Idris Phillips, American musician
- Idris Rahman, English musician
- İdris Naim Şahin, Turkish politician
- Idris Sardi, Indonesian violinist
- Idris Seabright, pseudonym of American author Margaret St. Clair
- Idries Shah or Idris Shah, author and teacher in the Sufi tradition
- Idris Sufyani, Saudi Arabian para athlete
- Idris Towill, Welsh dual-code rugby player
- Idris Waziri, Nigerian politician
- Idris Galcia Welsh, birthname of Canadian-American explorer, author, filmmaker and aviator Aloha Wanderwell
- Idris Williams, Welsh educationalist, Congregationalist and councillor
- Idris Jamma', Sudanese poet.
Royal and political titles
- Idris I of Morocco, the first ruler and founder of the Idrisid Dynasty of Morocco.
- Idris II of Morocco, the son of Idris I
- Idris of Libya, first and only king of Libya
- Idris Iskandar al-Mutawakkil Alallahi Shah of Perak, sultan of Perak
Nickname
- Joni Hendrawan or Idris, Indonesian member of Jemaah Islamiyah
- Howell Idris Welsh politician born Thomas Howell Williams.
Surname
- Alimcan Idris, Tatar theologian
- Damson Idris, English actor
- Denise Idris Jones, Welsh Labour politician
- Fahmi Idris, Indonesian politician
- Jamal Idris, Australian professional rugby league footballer
- Mohammad Idris, Indonesian politician
- Kamil Idris, Sudanese international civil servant
- S. M. Mohamed Idris, Malaysian environmental diplomat
- Salim Idris, Syrian general
- Suhayl Idris, Lebanese novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and translator
- Wafa Idris, Palestinian suicide bomber
- Yusuf Idris, Egyptian writer
Fictional characters
- Idris, a.k.a. Red Idris, a main character in Jennifer Maiden's third novel in the Play With Knives series, Play With Knives: Three: George and Clare and the Grey Hat Hacker
- Idris, the TARDIS personified in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Wife"
- Idris, in Mary Shelley's novel The Last Man
- Idris the Dragon, a Welsh dragon in the animated series Ivor the Engine
- Idris, an assassin in the mobile MOBA game ''Vainglory''