Mordred
Mordred Origin and Meaning
A somewhat dark and gloomy feeling name, perhaps because of its connotations or its similarity to the words morbid and murdered. Mordred is adapted from the Welsh Medraut, itself derived from the Latin moderatus. An unusual choice for a baby, but a potentially cool name for a fictional character.
In Arthurian legend, Mordred is sometimes portrayed as the nephew of King Arthur, who betrays Arthur by seducing Queen Guinevere and declaring himself king, thus sparking the battle of Camlann. In other versions, such as Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Mordred is Arthur's illegitimate son and, unaware of his true parentage, joins the Knights of the Round Table. When he discovers he is Arthur's son, he takes a key roll in the king's downfall, exposing the love affair of Guinevere and Lancelot and using the civil war to announce himself king.
In popular culture, he appears in the show BBC Merlin as a Druid boy, prophesized to kill Arthur. As a child, he is rescued by Morgana, Gwen, Arthur and Merlin, and later, as an adult, returns to the show, becoming a knight. When a girl he loves is executed for trying to kill Arthur, he joins forces with Morgana to bring down Camelot.
Also appearing as Medrod, Modred, and Medraut, the name has never ranked in the US or UK stats.