What was C.S. Lewis’s full first name, before the initials became famous?

C.S. Lewis’s full first name was Clive Staples.

He was born Clive Staples Lewis on 29 November 1898 in Belfast. The initials “C.S.” came from his first and middle names, and he used them as his public author name. Friends and family often called him “Jack,” a nickname he adopted during childhood after choosing the name of a childhood dog named Jacksie.

The name “Clive Staples” can cause confusion because Lewis is frequently introduced only by his initials. “Staples” was a family name: his mother’s surname before marriage was Hamilton, while his maternal grandfather was Thomas Hamilton. Lewis’s brother, Warren Hamilton Lewis, was also known by the initials W.H. Lewis and became a historian.

Lewis used several literary forms, including fiction, apologetics, poetry, and scholarship. His best-known works include The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, and The Problem of Pain.