What was J.K. Rowling’s birth name before she adopted her pen name?

J.K. Rowling’s birth name was Joanne Rowling.

She was born Joanne Rowling on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. The initial “K” was added for her publishing name, representing Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name. Rowling has said that her publishers wanted a name that might appeal to boys as well as girls, so the first Harry Potter book was published under initials rather than her full first name.

Rowling later married and was known for a time as Joanne Murray, but her professional identity remained J.K. Rowling. This sometimes causes confusion because “K” was not part of her birth name. Her official author name is also distinct from Robert Galbraith, the pseudonym she used for crime fiction.

The initials became globally recognizable after Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997. Rowling’s name is now closely associated with the seven-book Harry Potter series, which has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide.