What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s middle name, the source of his initials J.R.R.?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s middle names were Ronald Reuel. His full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, which produced the initials used on his books and in nearly all references to him.

Tolkien was born John Ronald Reuel Tolkien in 1892. “Ronald” was the name by which he was generally known in childhood and youth, while “Reuel” was an unusual family name with biblical associations. His father was Arthur Reuel Tolkien, so the name also belonged to Tolkien’s family tradition.

The initials J.R.R. became especially recognizable after the publication of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They distinguish him from his son Christopher Tolkien, who edited and published much of his father’s posthumous material. “J.R.R.” is therefore not a pen name: it is a shortened form of the author’s legal full name.