On what date was J.K. Rowling born?

J.K. Rowling was born on 31 July 1965.

She was born Joanne Rowling at Cottage Hospital in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. Her parents were Peter Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling, a science technician. Rowling later became one of the world's best-known authors through the Harry Potter series.

The date is sometimes confused with Harry Potter's fictional birthday, which is also 31 July. That shared date is deliberate: Rowling gave Harry her own birthday. Rowling's middle initial, K, does not come from a birth middle name; publishers asked her to use two initials, and she chose Kathleen in memory of her paternal grandmother.

Rowling's birthday has remained a recurring detail in Harry Potter discussions because it links the author's biography with the series' central character. Her birth year also places the beginning of her writing career several decades before the first Harry Potter book appeared.