What is the meaning of the “K” in J.K. Rowling’s pen name?

The “K” in J.K. Rowling’s pen name stands for Kathleen.

Rowling was born Joanne Rowling and did not originally have a middle name. When Bloomsbury prepared the first Harry Potter book for publication, the publisher asked her to use two initials because it was thought that boys might be less likely to read a book by a woman author. Rowling chose Kathleen, the name of her paternal grandmother.

The initials therefore do not represent a birth name such as “Joanne Kathleen Rowling.” They were adopted for publishing purposes. Rowling has also used the name Robert Galbraith for her Cormoran Strike crime novels, making her publishing identity especially notable.

The author is commonly called J.K. Rowling, although she has said that friends and family call her Jo. Her official author branding uses the initials, while the Harry Potter books’ copyright and biographical materials identify her as Joanne Rowling or J.K. Rowling.