What is J.K. Rowling's real first name?

J.K. Rowling's real first name is Joanne.

She was born Joanne Rowling on 31 July 1965, in England, and was nicknamed “Jo” by family and friends. The initials in her pen name were chosen before the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Her publisher, Bloomsbury, reportedly believed that some young boys might avoid a fantasy book written by a woman, so Rowling was encouraged to use initials instead of her full first name.

The “K” does not stand for a middle name that Rowling was born with. She chose it in honour of her paternal grandmother, Kathleen Rowling. Rowling therefore became known worldwide as J. K. Rowling, even though her birth name was simply Joanne Rowling. After her 2001 marriage, she also used the surname Murray in some personal contexts.

A common mix-up is “Joanna,” a related name, or the idea that “Katherine” was part of her original name. Neither is the answer to this question: the author’s given first name is Joanne.