What is J.K. Rowling’s full first name?

J.K. Rowling’s full first name is Joanne.

She was born Joanne Rowling on 31 July 1965. The professional form “J.K. Rowling” does not spell out her first name because her publisher believed a name with initials might appeal to a broad audience, including boys who might otherwise avoid a book by a female author. Rowling did not have a middle name at birth, so she adopted Kathleen, her grandmother’s name, for the initial K.

The resulting author name is therefore J.K. Rowling, not Joanne K. Rowling as a birth name. She has also used the pen name Robert Galbraith for her crime novels.

The author has sometimes been called “Jo,” a nickname used by people close to her. “Joanne” remains the formal first name associated with her biography and legal identity, while “J.K. Rowling” is the name used on her Harry Potter books.