J.R.R. Tolkien’s middle name represented by the first R is Ronald.
His full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. He was born John Ronald Reuel Tolkien on 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein. “Ronald” was his second given name, while “Reuel” was his third given name; the initials therefore stand for John, Ronald, and Reuel.
Tolkien was commonly known as Ronald to family and friends during parts of his life, although the initials J.R.R. became internationally associated with his books. The name Reuel also appears in biographical discussions and has sometimes led readers to misidentify which name supplies each initial.
The distinction matters because the three initials are not a shortened title or a pen name. They are the initials of his full given names. Tolkien’s surname came from his father’s family, whose ancestry included German origins, though Tolkien himself became one of England’s most influential writers and scholars.