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 (1879–1967), British museum curator, papyrologist 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 (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 (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 (born 1976), English musician * İdris Naim Şahin (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 (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 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 * Howell Idris (1842–1925) Welsh politician born Thomas Howell Williams. (Also Idris, a brand of ginger beer, originally made by Howell Idris's company)

Surname

* Alimcan Idris (1887-1959), Tatar theologian * Damson Idris (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 (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 (born 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 ''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 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