What is J.K. Rowling’s full name, including the middle name represented by the initial K?

J.K. Rowling’s full name is Joanne Kathleen Rowling. She was born Joanne Rowling on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. Kathleen was added as a middle name in honor of her paternal grandmother, Kathleen Ada Bulgen.

Rowling used the initials J.K. for the Harry Potter books because her publisher believed that a gender-neutral author name might appeal to a broad readership. The K does not represent a name she was born with; it was added for publication purposes before the first novel appeared.

Her name is often written as “J. K. Rowling,” although she has also published under the names Robert Galbraith and, for The Ickabog, her own name. The spelling “Joanne” is distinct from “Joan,” a common mistake when her biography is summarized.