Idris is a Welsh and Arabic given name (usually masculine), also given as surname. The name has two different etymologies.
Welsh: 'Ardent lord', from udd (lord, prince) + ris (ardent, enthusiastic, impulsive). It lends its name to the mountain Cadair Idris ('Idris's Chair') by way of Idris Gawr ('Idris the Giant'). 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 (إدريس, also transliterated Idrees): 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 (born 1986), French professor, author, and entrepreneur of Algerian descent
- Idris Bell (1879–1967), British museum curator, papyrologist and scholar of Welsh literature
- Idris Bitlisi (born c. 1450s), Kurdish religious scholar and Ottoman administrator
- Idris Cox (1899–1989), Welsh communist activist and newspaper editor
- Idris Davies (1905–1953), Welsh poet
- Idris Charles (1947–2021), Welsh language comedian, actor, TV presenter and writer
- Idris Elba, OBE (born 1972), English actor, writer, producer, musician, DJ, rapper, singer and boxer
- Idris Foster (1911–1984), Welsh scholar
- Idris Gawr, "Idris the Giant" (c. 560–c. 632), a king of Meirionnydd in early medieval Wales, traditionally also an astronomer
- İdris Güllüce (born 1950), Turkish civil engineer, politician and government minister
- Idris Hopkins (1910–1994), Welsh footballer
- Idris Jones (1900–1971), Welsh industrial chemist and rugby union player
- Idris Jones (born 1943), English-born Anglican bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church
- Idris Abdul Karim (born 1976), Malaysian footballer
- Idris Khattak, Pakistani human rights activist who has been missing since 2019
- İdris Küçükömer (1925–1987), Turkish academic, philosopher and economist
- Idris Lewis (1889–1952), Welsh conductor and composer
- Idris Miles (1908–1983), Welsh footballer
- Idris Muhammad (1939-2014), American jazz drummer
- Idris Phillips (1958–2022), American musician
- Idris Rahman (born 1976), English musician
- İdris Naim Şahin (born 1956), Turkish politician
- Idris Sardi (1938-2013), Indonesian violinist
- Idris Seabright, pseudonym of American author Margaret St. Clair (1911–1995)
- Idries Shah or Idris Shah (1926–1996), author and teacher in the Sufi tradition
- Idris Towill (1909–1988), Welsh dual-code rugby player
- Idris Waziri (born 1952), Nigerian politician
- Idris Galcia Welsh, birthname of Canadian-American explorer, author, filmmaker and aviator Aloha Wanderwell (1906–1996)
- Idris Williams (1836–1894), Welsh educationalist, Congregationalist and councillor
- Idris Jamma' (1922 – 1980), Sudanese poet.
Royal and political titles
- Idris I of Morocco (died 791), the first ruler and founder of the Idrisid Dynasty of Morocco.
- Idris II of Morocco (791-828), the son of Idris I
- Idris of Libya (1889–1983), first and only king of Libya
- Idris Iskandar al-Mutawakkil Alallahi Shah of Perak (1924–1984), sultan of Perak
Nickname
- Joni Hendrawan or Idris, Indonesian member of Jemaah Islamiyah
- Howell Idris (1842–1925) Welsh politician born Thomas Howell Williams. (Also Idris, a brand of Ginger beer, originally made by Howell Idris' company)
Surname
- Alimcan Idris (1887-1959), Tatar theologian
- Damson Idris (born 1991), English actor
- Denise Idris Jones (1950–2020), Welsh Labour politician
- Jamal Idris (born 1990), Australian professional rugby league footballer
- Kamil Idris (born 1954), Sudanese international civil servant
- S. M. Mohamed Idris (1926-2019), Malaysian environmental diplomat
- Salim Idris (b. 1957), Syrian general
- Suhayl Idris (1923–2008), Lebanese novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and translator
- Wafa Idris (1975-2002), Palestinian suicide bomber
- Yusuf Idris (1927–1991), 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
See also
References
- "Idris". Behind the Name. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- "Idris Gawr, King of Meirionydd". Early British Kingdoms. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- Encyclopedia of Islam, Juan Eduardo Campo, Infobase Publishing, 2009, pg. 344: "It probably originated as a term in ancient Hebrew for "interpreter"..."
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