idir

idir is a term that can refer to more than one use in different linguistic and cultural contexts. In onomastics, idir is used as a masculine given name within Kabyle communities in Algeria and among the diaspora. The name is associated with North African Berber naming traditions and appears in various family lineages and cultural contexts.

The best-known bearer associated with the name is Idir (1949–2020), an Algerian-born French Kabyle singer who helped popularize Kabyle music in Europe. His music bridged traditional Berber folk styles with contemporary audiences, and his 1975 song A Vava Inouva is widely regarded as a landmark that introduced Kabyle and North African music to a broader audience.

In the Irish language, idir is a preposition meaning “between” or “among.” It functions as a connective word in sentences and phraseology and is part of standard Irish vocabulary, appearing in both classical and modern texts.

Beyond these uses, idir may appear in various proper names or transliterations in languages that share historical ties with Berber or Celtic linguistic families. Because of its cross-cultural appearances, idir is best understood as a multivalent term rather than a single, fixed reference.