Why is Lord Voldemort called a lord?

I can think of a couple of reasons. We know he has the ego for it, plus by the time he graduated he had already opened the chamber of secrets and proclaimed himself the heir of Salazar Slitherin, who is never exactly stated to have a title, but is enormously significant regardless. read more

Voldemort gave the title Lord to himself when he dropped his muggle father’s name and took the name Lord Voldemort. After this, people called him Lord out of fear. However, wizards like Dumbledore or Harry, called him Voldemort only. read more

One of them, the "Dark Lord of the Dance", shows Voldemort teaming up with Harry on Broadway. In the MAD Magazine parodies of the films, the character is called Lord Druckermort, a backwards reference to the magazine's longtime caricaturist Mort Drucker. read more

Tom Marvolo Riddle was a Slytherin Half-Blood who would later be known as Lord Voldemort. He didn't want to keep his muggle father's name (Riddle). read more