What was J.K. Rowling’s birth name before she began publishing as J.K. Rowling?

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” in her pen name does not represent a birth middle name. Her publishers suggested adding a second initial, and Rowling chose “Kathleen” in honor of her paternal grandmother.

Rowling became widely known as J.K. Rowling when Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997. In everyday discussion, people sometimes assume that “K” has always been part of her legal name, but it was adopted for the author identity used on her books.

She later published crime novels under the name Robert Galbraith. That pseudonym is separate from her original name and was intended to let the books stand on their own merits.