What was C.S. Lewis’s birth name before he adopted the name by which he became famous?

C.S. Lewis’s birth name was Clive Staples Lewis.

He was born in Belfast, Ireland, on 29 November 1898. “C.S.” is formed from his first two names, Clive Staples, while Lewis is his family name. As a child, he was sometimes called “Jack,” a nickname he chose for himself after the death of a childhood dog named Jacksie.

Lewis later became widely known as C.S. Lewis, the author of works including The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity. The name “Clive Hamilton” was not his birth name; it was a pen name he used for some early poetry. This distinction can cause confusion because several of his publications appeared under different names.

His brother, Warren Lewis, was also a writer and historian. The two brothers remained close throughout their lives, and Warren later helped preserve and document many details of C.S. Lewis’s career and correspondence.