C.S. Lewis’s middle name was Staples.
He was born Clive Staples Lewis on 29 November 1898 in Belfast, Ireland, then part of the United Kingdom. The initials “C.S.” became the form by which he was widely known as an author, scholar, and Christian apologist. His first name was Clive, while Staples was his middle name.
The name Staples came from his mother’s family. Lewis’s full name is sometimes confused with the name of his older brother, Warren Hamilton Lewis, who was usually called Warnie. Both brothers later became writers, and Warren also served as an army officer and kept extensive diaries.
Lewis used several different names in his life and writing. Friends and family often called him Jack, a nickname he adopted during childhood, while his published books generally appeared under C.S. Lewis. Knowing his full name helps distinguish him from other writers associated with the initials C.S., including C.S. Forester.