In which English county was J.K. Rowling born?

J.K. Rowling was born in Gloucestershire, England.

Her birthplace was Yate, a town that was historically associated with Gloucestershire. Rowling was born at Yate General Hospital on 31 July 1965, before later growing up in nearby Winterbourne and then moving with her family to Tutshill.

Geographic descriptions of Yate can vary because English local-government boundaries have changed. Modern South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority, but the historic county connected with Rowling’s birthplace is Gloucestershire. That distinction explains why some biographies describe the location through South Gloucestershire while others simply name Gloucestershire.

Rowling’s childhood in the West Country is often discussed alongside the origins of Harry Potter. Her family later lived near the Forest of Dean, and local places around Tutshill and Chepstow are frequently linked with memories that helped shape her early imagination.