What is J.K. Rowling’s middle name?

J.K. Rowling’s middle name is Kathleen.

Her full birth name is Joanne Rowling. She was born on 31 July 1965, and “K.” was added to her professional name before Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published. The initial represented Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name.

Rowling has explained that the publisher wanted a name that might appeal broadly to children, and the first Harry Potter book was therefore issued under “J. K. Rowling” rather than her full first name. She did not originally have a middle name, so Kathleen was selected for the author identity used on the books.

The name is often misunderstood as meaning that Rowling’s first name is “Joanne Kathleen,” but Joanne Rowling is her birth name and Kathleen was added as a middle name for publishing purposes. She later used the name Robert Galbraith for her crime-fiction novels.