In J.K. Rowling’s pen name, what does the letter K stand for?

In J.K. Rowling’s pen name, the letter K stands for Kathleen.

Rowling was born Joanne Rowling, without the middle initial K. When Bloomsbury prepared to publish Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the publisher reportedly believed that a name made from initials might be more appealing to boys than a clearly female author’s name.

Rowling chose Kathleen in honor of her paternal grandmother. The initials therefore became J.K. Rowling: J for Joanne and K for Kathleen. The name was used for the Harry Potter books and became one of the most recognizable author names in modern publishing.

Another common mistake is assuming that Rowling’s legal birth name was Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Kathleen was selected for the public pen name, not inherited as a documented birth middle name.