What was J.K. Rowling’s birth name before she became a published author?

J.K. Rowling was born Joanne Rowling on 31 July 1965.

She was born at Yate General Hospital near Bristol, England, and grew up in Gloucestershire. The initial “K” in her pen name does not come from her birth name: her publishers asked her to use two initials, and she selected Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name.

Rowling has explained that she did not originally have a middle name. This is why some references incorrectly treat “Kathleen” as part of her legal birth name. After marrying Neil Murray, she was also sometimes known as Joanne Murray.

Her author identity became internationally famous through the Harry Potter novels, but the name on her birth record was simply Joanne Rowling. The distinction matters because “J.K. Rowling” is a professional pen name rather than her original full name.