Mormon means a lot of things. Most commonly, it is the nickname given to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members. It is also the name of a prophet, who made an abridgment of ancient scripture called The Book of Mormon.
All in all, it is not a bad name, except use of the nickname can muddy the waters of understanding about the church, its members and our beliefs. For example, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian church. The prophet Nephi in The Book of Mormon wrote:
And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
(2 Nephi 25:26)
Jesus Christ is in the name of the church, and Jesus is at the center of all of our doctrines, yet journalists routinely omit His name when reporting about His church. They will either call it The Church of Latter-day Saints or the Mormon Church, ignoring the Associated Press Stylebook, which they all own. Unfortunately, the name Mormon is a common rhetorical device to separate Latter-day Saints from other Christians as if we worshiped some other Jesus Christ.
The church has added an excellent page to its online gospel library that is worth a quick read. Just click on the shot of the temple at the top of this post.
I will just add a passage of scripture from The Book of Mormon:
But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.
And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.
(Ether 4:11-12)
