J.R.R. Tolkien’s middle name was Ronald.
His full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, so the initials J.R.R. represent John, Ronald, and Reuel. Ronald was the name commonly used in his family, while Reuel was his father’s middle name and also a name Tolkien carried himself.
Tolkien was born John Ronald Reuel Tolkien in 1892. The shortened form J.R.R. Tolkien became his professional and literary name, appearing on his academic work and on the title pages of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Readers sometimes identify Reuel as his middle name because it is the third element in his full name, but Tolkien had two names between his given name and surname. Christopher is also not part of Tolkien’s own name; it was the name of his son Christopher Tolkien, who later edited many of his father’s posthumous writings.