A LITTLE UNCOMMON. ENTIRELY YOURS.
Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.
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Lord element with an uncertain second element, in the Welsh tradition.
The Welsh entry traces Idris to Old Welsh Iudris, with a lord element and an uncertain second element that it tentatively connects to Rhys. The uncertainty prevents a settled ardent-lord gloss. The separately documented Arabic Idris tradition is retained and is not assigned this Welsh interpretation.
Separate Welsh and Arabic traditions
The reviewed source distinguishes Welsh Idris from Arabic Idris. Sharing the spelling does not establish a common derivation or a single literal meaning.
/ˈɪdrɪs/
One documented English bearer’s reading, recorded for Idris Elba and explicitly linked to English IPA. Approximate guide: ID-riss. This example does not prescribe a reading for every Welsh or Arabic Idris; those separate name histories remain unchanged.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
| Place | Year | Recorded usage | Published births | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2025 | Boys | 108 · preliminary | 306 | 2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| France | 2025 | Boys | 160 (rounded to 5) | 325 | Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published. |
| England & Wales | 2025 | Boys | 368 | 142 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Northern Ireland | 2014 | Boys | 3 | 398 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Scotland | 2025 | Boys | 13 | 278 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Ireland | 2025 | Boys | 4 | 676 | Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| United States | 2025 | Girls | 6 | 13208 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
| United States | 2025 | Boys | 391 | 694 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Checked against cited source
The exact English dictionary entry documents given-name use. English usage is distinct from the name’s deeper ancestry. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The Welsh entry traces Idris to Old Welsh Iudris, with a lord element and an uncertain second element that it tentatively connects to Rhys. The uncertainty prevents a settled ardent-lord gloss. The separately documented Arabic Idris tradition is retained and is not assigned this Welsh interpretation.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The reviewed source distinguishes Welsh Idris from Arabic Idris. Sharing the spelling does not establish a common derivation or a single literal meaning.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
One documented English bearer’s reading, recorded for Idris Elba and explicitly linked to English IPA. Approximate guide: ID-riss. This example does not prescribe a reading for every Welsh or Arabic Idris; those separate name histories remain unchanged. Credit: Wikipedia contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: English IPA respelled as an approximate guide, reading scope separated, and syllables counted for the recorded reading. CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source image or audio reused.
Credit: Wikipedia contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The retained article supplies /ˈɪdrɪs/ for Idris Elba. Exact Wiktionary Idris documents both Welsh and Arabic given-name traditions. The pronunciation example does not establish a shared origin or meaning for those traditions. Credit: Wikipedia contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: English IPA respelled as an approximate guide, reading scope separated, and syllables counted for the recorded reading. CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source image or audio reused.
Credit: Wikipedia contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
Supporting evidence for this qualified name history, adapted from Wiktionary contributors. Separate traditions and uncertain elements remain distinct.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
Count for the reviewed English IPA example only; native-language and personal readings can differ. Credit: Wikipedia contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: English IPA respelled as an approximate guide, reading scope separated, and syllables counted for the recorded reading. CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source image or audio reused.
Credit: Wikipedia contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
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Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.
