J.R.R. Tolkien’s middle name was Reuel.
The author’s full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. The initials J.R.R. therefore stand for John Ronald Reuel, while “Tolkien” is his family name. He was generally known publicly as J. R. R. Tolkien, especially in his role as a scholar and author.
Reuel was also used as a family name within Tolkien’s family. Tolkien’s father was Arthur Reuel Tolkien, and the name had a long-standing place in the family’s naming tradition. The author’s first name, John, was connected to family tradition, while Ronald was the name by which he was commonly called during parts of his life.
The name is sometimes misreported as Robert or confused with Tolkien’s son Christopher Reuel Tolkien. Christopher, who was born in 1924, later edited and published several of his father’s posthumous writings, including The Silmarillion.