Meaning Behind the Name

Harry Potter had some of the most interestingly complex characters, but each one of their names had a very special meaning behind them. The name 'Voldemort' has french roots, which means 'flight of death' in English, a very accurate description of his twisted plotline and evil motives.

In the Frech translation of the books, the name 'Voldemort' remains untouched, but his original moniker is changed to Tom Elvis Jedusor, just to fulfill a key plot point where the letters in 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' are rearranged to spell 'I am Lord Voldemort'. In the French version, the letters in Tom Elvis Jedusor changed to 'Je suis Voldemort'.

Warner Bros. | Voldemort had a daughter with Bellatrix Lestrange

Based on Real Names

Writers have very creative minds, but more often than not, their stories and characters are inspired by real events and people around them. For example, some of the characters like Tom Riddle, Minerva McGonagall, and Alastor Moody were all named after real people.

According to BBC reports, these names were taken from the headstones in Greyfriars Kirk graveyard, a now-famous cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Career Choice

Not many fans would know this but Tom Riddle originally intended to become a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, so much so that he applied for the position twice, only to be turned down both times.

He first applied while Armando Dippet was the headmaster but was rejected due to his lack of experience. The second time, it was Albus Dumbledore who turned him down because he was suspicious of his intentions.

Warner Bros. | Tom Riddle originally intended to become a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts

Deeply affected by the rejections, Riddle put a curse that made it impossible for any professor to hold the position for more than a year.