What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s full given name?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s full given name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

He was born on 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein, in what was then the Orange Free State. The initials in his familiar author name came from these three given names, while Tolkien was his family surname.

The middle name “Reuel” is sometimes mistaken for a title or an invented Elvish word, but it was part of Tolkien’s personal name. His first name was John, not James or Ronald; Ronald was his second given name.

Tolkien became widely known by his initials rather than by his full name, especially on the title pages of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. His son Christopher later published many works under the same author identification.