J.K. Rowling’s birth surname was Rowling.
She was born Joanne Rowling in 1965. The surname remained her professional name, although she was known as Joanne Murray during her marriage to Neil Murray. After that marriage, she continued publishing as J.K. Rowling, the author name established by the Harry Potter books.
Rowling’s publisher asked her to use initials rather than her first name because the publisher believed that some boys might be less likely to read a fantasy book written by a woman. Rowling had no middle name at birth, so she selected “K” in honor of her paternal grandmother, Kathleen. The initials therefore do not stand for a birth middle name.
The name change is often mixed up with Robert Galbraith, which is a separate pseudonym she used for the Cormoran Strike crime novels. Rowling, Joanne Murray, and Robert Galbraith refer to different stages or purposes of her public identity.