Tom Riddle, born Tom Marvolo Riddle on December 31, 1926, is the birth name of the dark wizard later known as Lord Voldemort, the primary antagonist in the Harry Potter series
. He was a powerful and feared dark wizard who sought immortality and domination over the wizarding world. The name "Lord Voldemort" is an anagram of "Tom Marvolo Riddle," which he created while still a student at Hogwarts to shed his human identity and embrace his dark persona
. Tom Riddle grew up in a Muggle orphanage after his mother, Merope Gaunt, died shortly after his birth. He was known to be a lonely and troubled child, feared by others due to his emerging magical abilities and cruel behavior
. Despite his charm and intelligence, he engaged in dark acts from a young age, including bullying and even murder. His disdain for Muggles and obsession with immortality led him to create Horcruxes—objects containing fragments of his soul to achieve eternal life—through murder, which ultimately made him soulless
. At Hogwarts, he gathered a group of followers who would become the Death Eaters, laying the foundation for his rise as the Dark Lord. His quest for power and immortality culminated in multiple conflicts with Harry Potter, who was prophesied to have the power to defeat him
. In summary, Tom Riddle is the original identity of Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard whose early life of abandonment, loneliness, and cruelty shaped his transformation into one of the most notorious villains in literature
