Idris is a Welsh and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

(usually masculine), also given as surname. The name has two different etymologies. Welsh: 'Ardent lord', from (lord, prince) + (ardent, enthusiastic, impulsive). It lends its name to the mountain ('Idris's Chair') by way of ('Idris the Giant'). The story of is believed to have come from the monkish king Idris of , who was slain in a battle with

Oswald of Northumbria Oswald (; c 604 – 5 August 641/642Bede gives the year of Oswald's death as 642. However there is some question of whether what Bede considered 642 is the same as what would now be considered 642. R. L. Poole (''Studies in Chronology and H ...

on the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

. This indicates that the name may well have been used in Wales before his final stand in 632.

(, also

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

''Idrees''):

Idris Idris may refer to: People * Idris (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Idris (prophet), Islamic prophet in the Qur'an, traditionally identified with Enoch, an ancestor of Noah in the Bible * Idris ...

, the Islamic prophet mentioned in the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

, usually identified with

Enoch Enoch ( ; ''Henṓkh'') is a biblical figure and Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch prior to Noah's flood, and the son of Jared (biblical figure), Jared and father of Methuselah. He was of the Antediluvian period in the Hebrew Bible. The text of t ...

in the Bible. The original meaning may be "interpreter."''Encyclopedia of Islam'', Juan Eduardo Campo, Infobase Publishing, 2009, pg. 344: "It probably originated as a term in ancient Hebrew for "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 Sir Harold Idris Bell (2 October 1879 – 22 January 1967) was a British museum curator, papyrologist (specialising in Roman Egypt) and scholar of Welsh literature. Bell was born at Epworth, Lincolnshire to an English father and a Welsh m ...

(1879–1967), British museum curator,

papyrologist Papyrology is the study of manuscripts of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., preserved on portable media from antiquity, the most common form of which is papyrus, the principal writing material in the ancient civilizations ...

and scholar of

Welsh literature Welsh literature is any literature originating from Wales or by Welsh writers: *Welsh-language literature Welsh-language literature () has been produced continuously since the emergence of Welsh from Brythonic as a distinct language in a ...

* Idris Bitlisi (1457-1520), Kurdish religious scholar and Ottoman administrator * Idris Cox (1899–1989), Welsh communist activist and newspaper editor *

Idris Davies Idris Davies (6 January 1905 – 6 April 1953) was a Welsh poet. Born in Rhymney, near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, he became a poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English. Davies was the only poet to cover th ...

(1905–1953), Welsh poet * Idris Charles (1947–2021), Welsh language comedian, actor, TV presenter and writer *

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba Order of the British Empire, OBE ( ; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. He w ...

, OBE (born 1972), English actor, writer, producer, musician, DJ, rapper, singer and boxer *

Idris Foster Sir Idris Llewelyn Foster (23 July 1911 – 18 June 1984) was a Welsh scholar and Jesus Professor of Celtic at the University of Oxford from 1947 until 1978. He was born in Carneddi, Bethesda, Caernarfonshire, Wales, and studied Latin and W ...

(1911–1984), Welsh scholar * Idris Gawr, "Idris the Giant" (560–632), a king of

Meirionnydd is a coastal and mountainous region of Wales. It has been a kingdom, a , a district and, as Merionethshire, a county. It is currently a committee area within the county Gwynedd. Kingdom (Meirion, with as a Welsh suffix of land, literally 'La ...

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 The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...

* 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 * Idrish Mondal, Bengali politician *

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad (; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, Rhythm and blues, R&B, and Soul music, soul music and recorded with musicians s ...

(1939-2014), American jazz drummer * Idris Phillips (1958–2022), American musician *

Idris Rahman Idris Rahman (; born 16 July 1976) is an English clarinettist, saxophonist and record producer. Early life Rahman was born and brought up in Chichester, West Sussex, England by a Bengali father, Mizan Rahman, and an English-Irish mother. His m ...

(born 1976), English musician *

İdris Naim Şahin İdris Naim Şahin (born 1 June 1956, Ünye, Ordu, Turkey) is a Turkish politician who was elected to the Turkish Grand National Assembly in 2002, representing Istanbul. He was appointed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs on 6 July 2011 by Pri ...

(born 1956), Turkish politician *

Idris Sardi Muhammad Idris Sardi (June 7, 1938 – April 28, 2014) was an Indonesian violinist and composer. Idris Sardi was born on June 7, 1938, to Sardi, an Indonesian composer, and Hadidjah, an Indonesian actress. Idris learned to play the violin whe ...

(1938-2013), Indonesian violinist * Idris Seabright, pseudonym of American author Margaret St. Clair (1911–1995) *

Idries Shah Idries Shah (; , , ; 16 June 1924 – 23 November 1996), also known as Idris Shah, Indries Shah, né Sayyid, Sayed Idries el-Hashemite, Hashimi (Arabic: ) and by the pen name Arkon Daraul, was an Afghans, Afghan author, thinker and teacher in ...

or Idris Shah (1926–1996), author and teacher in the Sufi tradition *

Idris Towill Idris Arthur Towill (12 November 1909 – 21 September 1988) was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Welsh Schoolboys and Glamorgan ...

(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 Aloha Wanderwell (Idris Galcia Hall née Welsh, October 13, 1906 – June 4, 1996) was a Canadian explorer, author, filmmaker, and aviator. Beginning when she was 16 years old, she became the first woman to drive around the globe, driving a For ...

(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 Idris (I) ibn Abd Allah (; d. 791), also known as Idris the Elder (), was a Hasanid and the founder of the Idrisid dynasty in part of northern Morocco, after fleeing the Hejaz as a result of the Battle of Fakhkh.''A History of the Maghrib in t ...

(died 791), the first ruler and founder of the Idrisid Dynasty of Morocco. *

Idris II of Morocco Idrīs ibn Idrīs () known as Idris II () and Idrīs al-Azhar/al-Aṣghar () (August 791 – August 828), was the son of Idris I, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco. He was born in Walīlī two months after the death of his father. H ...

(791-828), the son of Idris I *

Idris of Libya Idris (, Muhammad Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi; 13 March 1890 – 25 May 1983) was King of Libya from 24 December 1951 until his ousting in the 1 September 1969 coup d'état. He ruled over the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 19 ...

(1889–1983), first and only king of Libya * Idris Iskandar al-Mutawakkil Alallahi Shah of Perak (1924–1984), sultan of Perak

Nickname

Joni Hendrawan Joni Hendrawan, also known as Idris, is an Indonesian, who after escaping conviction for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, was convicted for the 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing. Early life Hendrawan grew up in the town of Pekanbaru Indonesia, and t ...

or ''Idris'', Indonesian member of

Jemaah Islamiyah Jemaah Islamiyah (, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) was a Southeast Asian Islamist militant group based in Indonesia, which was dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state in ...

* Howell Idris (1842–1925) Welsh politician born Thomas Howell Williams. (Also Idris, a brand of

ginger beer Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. Historically it was produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar. Modern ginger beers are often mass production, manufactur ...

, originally made by Howell Idris's company)

Surname

* Alimcan Idris (1887-1959), Tatar theologian *

Damson Idris Adamson Alade-Bo "Damson" Idris (born 2 September 1991) is a British actor and entrepreneur. He is best known for starring in John Singleton's crime drama ''Snowfall'', which debuted 5 July 2017 on FX and ended in 2023 after six seasons. He pla ...

(born 1991), English actor * Denise Idris Jones (1950–2020),

Welsh Labour Welsh Labour (), formerly known as the Labour Party in Wales (), is an autonomous section of the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK), Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears have won a p ...

politician *

Jamal Idris Jamal Dasuki Idris (born 6 July 1990) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. Idris played in representative teams such as Country, Indigenous All Stars, New South Wales and Australia. A , he previously played for the Can ...

(born 1990), Australian professional rugby league footballer * Mohammad Idris (born 1961), Indonesian politician *

Kamil Idris Kamil El-Tayeb Idris Abdelhafiz (; born 26 August 1954) is a Sudanese statesman, scholar, international civil servant and politician who has been the 16th prime minister of Sudan since 31 May 2025. He was Director General of the World Intellectu ...

(born 1954), Sudanese international civil servant * S. M. Mohamed Idris (1926-2019), Malaysian environmental diplomat *

Salim Idris Salim Idris (; born 1958) is a Syrian military officer and rebel leader. He served as the minister of defense of the Syrian Interim Government and chief of staff of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) of the Syrian National Army, a Syrian rebel ...

(born 1957), Syrian general *

Suhayl Idris Suhayl Idris (1925 – February 19, 2008) was a Lebanese novelist, short-story writer, journalist and translator. Biography Idris studied in Beirut before going on to study in Paris and receive a PhD from Sorbonne. His first collection, ''Ashwaq' ...

(1923–2008), Lebanese novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and translator * Wafa Idris (1975-2002), Palestinian suicide bomber *

Yusuf Idris Yusuf Idris, also spelled Yusof Idris (; May 19, 1927 – August 1, 1991) was an Egyptian writer of plays, short stories, and novels. Biography Idris was born in Faqous. He originally trained to be a doctor, studying at Cairo University. He ...

(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 "The Doctor's Wife" is the fourth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was broadcast on 14 May 2011 in the United Kingdom, and later the same day in the United States. It was writt ...

" * Idris, in Mary Shelley's novel ''

The Last Man ''The Last Man'' is an apocalyptic, dystopian science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, first published in 1826. The narrative concerns Europe in the late 21st century, ravaged by the rise of a bubonic plague pandemic that rapidly sweeps acros ...

'' *

Idris the Dragon ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" ...

, a Welsh dragon in the animated series ''

Ivor the Engine ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales ...

'' * Idris, an

assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

in the mobile

MOBA Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) is a subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete on a structured battlefield, each controlling a single character with distinctive abilities that grow stronger as the match progr ...

game '' Vainglory''

References

{{surname, Idris Arabic-language masculine given names Bosniak given names Bosnian masculine given names Masculine given names Welsh masculine given names Welsh given names