What middle name does the author name J.K. Rowling represent?

The K in J.K. Rowling represents Kathleen. Rowling was born Joanne Rowling, but she adopted the initials J.K. Rowling for the publication of the Harry Potter books.

Rowling did not originally have a middle name. Her publisher requested a two-initial author name, partly because it was thought that young male readers might be less likely to choose a book written by a woman. Rowling selected Kathleen, the name of her paternal grandmother, for the second initial.

The author’s first initial is J for Joanne. She has said that “Jo” was the name her family used, while “Joanne” is her given name. The name J.K. Rowling therefore combines her first name with a commemorative family name rather than reproducing a legal middle name from birth.

Some readers assume the K stands for a name given to Rowling at birth, or confuse Kathleen with Katherine. Biographical sources identify Kathleen as the intended name behind the publishing initial.