Isn't his real name Tom Riddle?(was Precious little to celebrate)

[sophierom]

No: HPFGUIDX 128829

 > Marianne:
> 
> I've also started re-reading the whole series in preparation for
HBP, 
> and this is exactly one of the questions that occurred to me.  
> Everyone is scared to death of saying Voldemort, which I think
lends 
> too much power to him in everyone's mind.  Why, then, didn't DD or
the 
> Order or the Ministry simply start calling him Tom Riddle?  It's 
> rather a pleasant name, and not at all scary.  Did they really go 
> through the entire 11 years not knowing his real identity?  
> 

Sophierom:

Here's a section in CoS which somewhat answers your question, if you
believe Dumbledore, at least: 
***

Dumbledore "turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly
bewildered.  

'Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle.
 I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts.  He disappeared
after leaving the school ...traveled far and wide...sand so deeply
into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind,
underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he
resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable.  Hardly
anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was
once Head Boy here'" (CoS, Am. ed., 329).

***

The Weasleys, a pure blood family, seem not to be able to connect Tom
Riddle to Voldemort until Dumbledore tells them.

Indeed, I would guess very few of LV's followers are aware of this
connection.  This might explain why, in OotP, Bellatrix is so shocked
and appalled by Harry's claim that Voldemort is a half-blood (Am. ed.,
784).  Had they known his real name, the Death Eaters might have been
able to find out more about him, and he would have lost his
credibility before he'd been able to gain much power. 

Still, this does beg the question: if the Wizarding World is a fairly
small and tight-knit community, how does an outsider - even with a
pretentious name like Lord Voldemort - gain power? Apparently his
followers recognized his ability to harness dark magic.  Probably some
don't really care about his heritage so long as he can teach them what
they want to learn and give them power.  I don't think Rowling is all
that interested in Voldemort, aside from his role as supreme villain,
but it would be fascinating to discover more of his backstory.  

Sophierom