What were J.R.R. Tolkien’s three given names at birth?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s three given names at birth were John Ronald Reuel.

He was born on 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein, in what was then the Orange Free State. His first name was John, while Ronald became the name most often used by family and friends. Reuel was an unusual family name associated with his father’s side.

The initials J.R.R. therefore come directly from his given names. Tolkien is sometimes incorrectly expanded as “John Robert Tolkien,” but Robert was not one of his names. His surname came from his German ancestry; the Tolkien family name is generally understood to derive from the German Tollkiehn.

Tolkien later became known internationally as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but he was also a philologist and university professor. His full name appears in biographies, academic records, and publication histories.