J.R.R. Tolkien’s middle name was Reuel, making his full name John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
Tolkien was born on 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein, in what was then the Orange Free State. His first name was John, his second name was Ronald, and Reuel was his third given name. The initials J.R.R. became the form by which he was widely known as an author and scholar.
The name Reuel was connected to Tolkien’s family history. His father, Arthur Tolkien, had a middle name of Reuel as well, and the name appears in the family’s records. It was not a name Tolkien invented for his literary identity, although its unusual sound can make it seem like one of his fictional creations.
The middle name is sometimes mistakenly expanded as “Robert” or “Reginald.” Neither is part of Tolkien’s full name. His literary signature, J.R.R. Tolkien, reflects all three of his given names rather than a title or a pen name.