Profile of the Day: J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling

Happy birthday to J.K. Rowling! Today the “Harry Potter” author turns 49. She was born Joanne Rowling in Yate, England on July 31, 1965. Rowling adopted the pen name “J.K.” after her publishers asked her to use two initials, rather than her full name, anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman. She chose “K” as the second initial of her pen name from her grandmother, Kathleen.

Rowling came from very humble beginnings before writing her first novel of the famous series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In a true rags to riches story, Rowling went from living on welfare to being one of the wealthiest people in the UK within five years. Today, children and adults worldwide continue to enjoy the series.

Are you a fan of the Harry Potter book series or movies? Check out J.K. Rowling’s family tree on Geni and perhaps you can help connect her to over 78 million people in the World Family Tree.

View J.K. Rowling’s Geni Profile

Image: Daniel Ogren, Flickr