Idris: meaning and UK use

What does Idris mean?

The Welsh entry gives a derivation meaning ardent lord. The separate Arabic entry offers a possible connection with study or teaching. These are independent traditions sharing a spelling.

Language or name family covered

Welsh and Arabic names

Meaning or derivation

Different meanings in Welsh and Arabic

Our browsing group

boy; international

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Idris
• Behind the Name — Idris

Pronunciation and related forms

/ˈɪd.rɪs/ (Welsh IPA); /ʔid.ˈriːs/ (Arabic IPA)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Idriss, Driss. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Idris?

In 2025, 368 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Idris, making it the 142nd most popular boys’ name. That is up 11 places on 2024, when it ranked 153rd. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 280th, so it has climbed 138 places in a decade. 2025 is its highest ranking in the ONS series, which starts in 1996. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

142nd

2025 registrations

368

Best rank in this series

142nd (2025)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Idris: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	142	368
2024	153	335
2023	167	310
2022	173	291
2021	171	317
2020	174	304
2019	163	323
2018	211	248
2017	204	261
2016	227	247
2015	280	177
2014	291	159
2013	379	107
2012	440	90
2011	449	84
2010	603	55
2009	596	54
2008	943	28
2007	589	50
2006	608	47
2005	628	42
2004	599	40
2003	565	40
2002	691	28
2001	602	31
2000	673	27
1999	776	21
1998	554	33
1997	589	29
1996	535	32

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 4,178. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

Try Idris with your surname

Preview the full name and initials below. This stays on this page, is not saved and is not sent to us. The preview does not check legal registration or passport rules.

Middle names (optional)

Surname

Type a surname to preview the full name, initials and character count.

• Say “Idris” followed by your surname, then add any middle names. Listen for repeated sounds or an unintended phrase.
• Write the full initials. Try the everyday form and any nickname you expect to use.
• Ask someone to read Idris without prompting, then decide whether explaining its spelling or pronunciation would bother you.
• If a cultural or family connection is important, confirm the intended language and written form before settling on a translation.

Names to compare with Idris

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Aaravinternational · Crying, howling or noise
• Arjuninternational · A modern form of Arjuna
• Chidiinternational · God exists
• Cianinternational · Ancient or enduring
• Eliasinternational · A form of Elijah
• Ezrainternational · Help

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Idris, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.