Given name & surname · also Arabic
Idris
“an eager lord”
Idris is used as a given name and a surname. One Welsh interpretation is “an eager lord.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Welsh interpretation is “an eager lord.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
How it developed
In Welsh use, its formation brings together iud (“lord”) and ris (“ardent, impulsive”).
The story
Idris was in use during the Middle Ages.
Idris through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,084
- 5,031 boys · 53 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 397 babies
- 2025
- 397
- #694 for boys · #13,853 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +48%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 391 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 694 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 47.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (46). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,342 as a first name in 2020; 1,668 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Idris’s family of names
In English usage, Idris has a conventional equivalent in the French form Idriss. Idris has a related form in Idriss. Idris has a related form in Idrisse.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Idris has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Arabic roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Idris
- Idris ElbaBritish actorborn 1972
- Carlos KameniCameroonian footballer (born 1984)
- Idris I of MoroccoIdrisid ruler (r. 788–791)745–791
- BobriskyNigerian transgender woman (born 1991)
- Idris KanuSierra Leonean association football player (born 1999)
- Idris AliIndian politician (1950–2024)
- Idris Abdul WakilTanzanian President of Zanzibar (1925-2000)
- Idris El MizouniTunisian-French association football playerborn 2000
- EyedressFilipino musicianborn 1990
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Idris, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Kieran
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94% boys · 6% girls