Idris
- Pronunciation
- [I-dris]
- Gender
- Male
- Meaning
- A Prophet's Name; Meaning Unknown
- Origin
- Arabic
About the Name Idris
Idris is a resonant name with two distinct roots. In the Islamic tradition it is the name of a revered prophet whose original meaning is uncertain, while in Welsh tradition Idris is an ancient name often linked to the idea of an "ardent lord" and tied to the mountain Cadair Idris in Snowdonia. This dual heritage gives the name both spiritual depth and a striking, melodic sound, a rare combination of faith, legend, and landscape woven into two memorable syllables.
In the United States the name is a recent and rising arrival. Idris first entered the Social Security top-1000 in 2018 and reached its best rank ever in 2024 at #739, with 347 boys given the name that year, meaning its single most popular moment arrived right at the most recent count. Across its run it has been given to roughly 2,025 boys who reached the top-1000, a clear and encouraging sign of growing momentum for a name still relatively new to the charts.
Idris's appeal lies in its blend of prophetic and Celtic heritage, its smooth two-syllable rhythm, and its contemporary, internationally recognizable feel. It offers the friendly short forms Idi and Riss for everyday use. For families seeking a name that is meaningful and distinctive while remaining easy to say and spell, Idris fits comfortably among other rising favorites like Cyrus, Atticus, and Amir, with a character all its own.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Idris
US Popularity History (2018–2025)
Annual US births named Idris by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2025 with 391 boys named Idris (boy rank #694 that year).
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
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Where in the US Is Idris Most Popular?
Average boy-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Idris the strongest states are New York, Minnesota, Virginia.
Strongest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | #548 | 278 |
| 2 | Minnesota | #555 | 77 |
| 3 | Virginia | #564 | 65 |
| 4 | Maryland | #587 | 65 |
| 5 | Illinois | #590 | 169 |
| 6 | New Jersey | #591 | 107 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | #628 | 42 |
| 8 | Michigan | #695 | 79 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | #744 | 94 |
| 10 | Washington | #754 | 56 |
Weakest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | #874 | 63 |
| 2 | Ohio | #858 | 67 |
| 3 | Colorado | #845 | 15 |
| 4 | Georgia | #825 | 74 |
| 5 | Missouri | #821 | 17 |
| 6 | Arizona | #815 | 33 |
| 7 | Texas | #809 | 193 |
| 8 | North Carolina | #787 | 43 |
| 9 | California | #760 | 317 |
| 10 | Washington | #754 | 56 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Idris in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Looking for names like Idris?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Idris to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Idris against today's most popular boys-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).