What is J.K. Rowling’s full first and middle name as used in her author name?

J.K. Rowling’s first and middle names are Joanne Kathleen.

She was born Joanne Rowling, and Kathleen was later selected as her middle name in honor of her maternal grandmother. Her author name uses the initials J.K. Rowling, although the author has explained that she did not originally have a middle name at birth. The “K” was adopted before publication of the first Harry Potter book.

Bloomsbury asked Rowling to use initials rather than her first name because the publisher believed some boys might be less likely to choose a book written by a woman. Rowling has also said that the K stood for Kathleen, a family tribute rather than a name used in everyday life.

The author’s name is sometimes incorrectly expanded as Joanna Katherine Rowling. Those forms are not her stated name. Rowling married and has also been known by the surname Murray in personal contexts, but J.K. Rowling remains her established publishing name. Her different writing identities include Robert Galbraith for the Cormoran Strike novels.