Explore the Family Name Idris

The meaning of Idris

Muslim: from an Arabic personal name, Idrīs. Idrīs is mentioned in the Koran as a prophet, and many legends are related of him in Arabic folklore and literature. Linguistically, his name corresponds to Hebrew Ezra, Greek Esdras, but the Muslim figure is not the same person as the Biblical prophet of this name. Some legends about him correspond more nearly to those about the Biblical Enoch. Compare Idrees. History: Idris ibn-Abdullah (died 793) was founder of the Idrisid dynasty which ruled Morocco from 789–926 AD. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Mohammad, Ahamed, Ahmed, Beshir, Farouk, Ismail, Jaafar, Mohamed, Omar, Abdalla, Abdulkader, Abubakar.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Idris in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Idris saw a significant rise between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 42,134th in the United States, but by 2010, it had climbed to a rank of 25,601. This represents an increase in popularity of approximately 39.24%. The actual count of individuals with the Idris surname also nearly doubled during this time period, from 485 in 2000 to 964 in 2010, which constitutes an impressive growth rate of 98.76%.

20002010Change
Rank#42,134#25,60139.24%
Count48596498.76%
Proportion per 100k0.180.3383.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Idris

Regarding the ethnicity of those bearing the surname Idris, there were some notable shifts as per the data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of individuals with Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity decreased by approximately 15.94%, dropping from 18.76% in 2000 to 15.77% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of White individuals fell by 10.20%, and those identifying with two or more races saw a dramatic decline of 77.48%. However, the surname saw an increase amongst Black individuals, rising from 47.63% in 2000 to 63.07% in 2010, marking a considerable increase of 32.42%. Additionally, the census introduced a new category for individuals of Hispanic origin, accounting for 1.76% of people with the surname Idris in 2010. No data was recorded for individuals of American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnic identity for either year.

20002010Change
Black47.63%63.07%32.42%
White18.14%16.29%-10.2%
Asian/Pacific Islander18.76%15.77%-15.94%
Two or More Races13.81%3.11%-77.48%
Hispanic0%1.76%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%