Why does Voldemort allow Dumbledore to call him by his muggle name, Tom? Is it out of respect, fear, or something else?

I don't think Voldemort has much of a choice. Dumbledore is the only wizard he feared. Dumbledore could pretty much call him whatever he would like to. I'm not saying Voldemort is afraid to fight Dumbledore (OotP), but I think Voldemort would choose to pick his battles better. Why fight Dumbledore over a name, I'm sure it did bother Voldemort though. He did have everyone else calling him Lord Voldemort or The Dark Lord.

Well said. Dumbledore, after all, was the Headmaster of Hogwarts at the time when Tom Riddle was a student there, and he had always been a very good student, so I think he was used to Dumbledore addressing him by his real name. Secretly, he may even have had some respect for him (though probably not much!)

Do you mean Voldemort had some respect for dumbledore? I think that may be true in a sense. Tom may have respected dumblydore for his knowledge of magic, but I think its more likely he was a bit jelouse of dumblydores knowledge.

Exactly! And you are so correct, it probably was more jealousy on Voldemort's part than any type of respect. But Dumbledore was a person who had a lot of power as the head of Hogwarts, and I think Voldemort would have respected that, if nothing else. After all, power is everything as far as the Dark Lord is concerned!

In HBP, Dumbledore states that Voldemort will always be known as Tom to him, even after he came back to ask for the teaching position. I think Dumbledore does it to keep him level. Calling him by the same that he expects of everyone else would be like taking a step down. It's one thing to say his name but I think only Dumbledore has the stones to call him Tom to his face. I think Voldemort would AK anyone else. And I think he allows it because he knows that the fear his instills in others is moot on DD. DD doesn't care and Voldemort knows he can't get DD to bow down to him. But at that moment in the MoM when DD and Voldemort are dueling and DD calls him Tom, I think Voldemort is just so used to it at that point, and he had more pertinent things on his mind, that it completely blew over his head.

LOL, I figuared it was a matter of time before someone brought up the MoM battle. And I think you are right on the mark about dumbledore calling him Tom at that time. Riddle would have been a little busy at the time to object to it. And I also think Voldemort would AK anyone who else who called him by his muggle name. As far as dumbledore respecting Tom, I do belive dumbledore has a respect for everyone, even if their ideas clash. At the end of CoS dumbledore never says a cross word to Malfoy, but at the same time lets him know what he thinks of his ways. Thats one thing I liked about dumbledore, he could be subtle with his words , and yet you know when the line is crossed just by a look. I think Tom knew dumbledore could respects him as a person even though he didn't agree with his wicked ways.

If you go by the book and stuff it is fear. To me though he does not have a choose. Dumbledore is just going to call him Tom no matter what. Dumbledore seem the type to me if Voldemort told him if you call me Tom one more time I am going to kill you. Dumbledore well come off with like go head and kill me Tom.

Well, actually I have to correct you on that. Dumbledore was Transfiguration teacher, not Headmaster, when Tom Riddle was a student. Which I think is even better because as someone's professor, you are even closer to the students because you interact with them in your classes rather than just occasionally in the hall or dining room. Therefore, as Tom's professor, yes there is a certain amount of respect that comes towards any professor. DD called Tom by his real name for years before he changed his name; he knew Tom's strengths and weaknesses, which is what scared Tom the most about DD. That's why he tolerates only DD to call him Tom; out of fear and respect of DD - which he will not admit.

I think that Voldie is a little bit afraid of DD and he has a tiny bit of respect for him. If one of his followers called him Tom they'd be dead before they could even think about it.

I think voldemort is so afraid that Dumbeldore will do something to try and defeat him that he does it, not becuase he wants to but becuase he has to.

It's amazing, even after all those years Voldemort still remembered Dumbledore as his old professor and even he had respect for him because of that. I guess it just goes to show how much power a leadership posiition such as teacher really does carry.

Very true, Linda! Voldermort does have respect for Albus, its pretty obvious, as Dumbledore as everyone has said is quite powerful, and holds a solid postion, even when he dies.

I believe that Lord Voldemort was known to Dumbledore as Tom because he used that name to at least show that he knew Tom for being Tom, not some dark Wizard, Dumbledore did not want to show that he knew Voldemort is an evil wizard and all. Maybe he continued to say 'Tom' for the fact of the possibility that Lord Voldemort might feel remorse and come back to being the real Tom. Also Dumbledore is so used to it, so I don't think he'd feel right to call him Voldemort all of a sudden.

I don't agree JW, I think its unlikely Dumble will just call him 'Tom' for a reason infact is totally pointless. He wont remorse, because of his fear of death.

I don't think DD called Voldemort Tom out of habit but more out of belittlement in it's most subtle form. Calling him Voldemort would play into the name, play into the fear and play into his egomaniacal complex. DD didn't want to do that so calling him Tom kept him rooted in humanity, was a reminder that, yes, even Voldemort was human and I don't think Morty respected DD at all. He feared him simply because they had equal power. Voldemort respected no one but himself.

Perhaps in some way or another, Voldemort still deeply respects Dumbledore. I know, it may not seem that way: But one mustn’t forget that Dumbledore was his saviour from the life he hated as an orphan “muggle”. He led him into a life of magic, and in a way he made it all possible for him to develop his abilities and become what he was. Dumbledore was sort of an adoptive father/mentor figure to him, replacing the muggle father who had abandoned him. Maybe his allowance to him to speak the name reveals the small part of humanity left in him. Or maybe I'm just being a romantic fool, allowing myself to believe that he didn't allow it simply as some grandiose gesture of self emotional abuse on Dumbledore’s part, referring to him as his given name proving to be a reminder and those emotional connection with the man.

I agree with Bombalurina, because Dumbledore always respected a person, and he might have thought that Riddle wanted people to respect him, but he didn't give Riddle respect in that way that Death Eaters do, but he respected Riddle in a way that he didn't like. Even Voldemort admits that Dumbledore is a great and powerful wizard.

Well I think for one Dumbledore called him Tom for one thing to not let himself get caught up in all that fear and madness that Voldie was inspiring in people. "Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself." That is so true, but even Harry who used his real name was still scared of him, so I think Dumbledore called him Tom to take away even more of his power.

Like I will call you Voldie, but then I will call you Tom. And I think that Dumbledore even though he knew Voldie was evil I want to think that he still hoped Voldie would see the error of his ways, and calling him Tom was trying to invoke some sort of human emotion from the boy who would be Voldie.

I think Voldlie tolerated it because he feared Dumbledore. Plain and simple otherwise he would have done what he did to everyone that was in his way. He would have killed them. I mean he liked to use his greatest kills to make his horcruxes. What great death would have been than Dumbledore's? But that thought didn't even cross his mind. He was scared of him, and yes he may have even respected him.