The first name of J.K. Rowling’s fictional wizard Harry Potter is Harry.
Harry James Potter is the central character of Rowling’s seven-novel Harry Potter series. He is introduced as an orphan living with his aunt, uncle, and cousin before learning on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard. His name appears in the series title and is shared by the character’s father, James Potter.
The character was named Harry because Rowling has said she liked the name and considered it a strong, ordinary English name. “Potter” was also a surname she knew from childhood. The initials J.K. on the author’s books do not stand for “Joanne Kathleen” in full: Rowling’s publishers requested a second initial, and she chose Kathleen in honor of her grandmother.
Harry is sometimes confused with Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played him in the original film series. Radcliffe portrayed Harry in eight films released from 2001 to 2011, while the character originated in Rowling’s 1997 novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.