10 People with a middle initial that does not stand for a name

1. Ulysses S Grant. Union Army general and 18th President of the US. Originally called Hiram Ulysses Grant but an error when he went to West Point military academy left him with this name.

2. Harry S Truman. Thirty-third President of the US. Given the S on his birth certificate by his parents as a compromise between two grandparents, Shipp and Solomon. 

3. J K Rowling. Born Joanne Rowling, when Bloomsbury first published her they wanted two initials on her book rather than her first name, so as not to put off boy readers. She chose K for Kathleen, from her grandmother, the name she now uses for formal purposes. 

4. Iain M Banks. Published The Wasp Factory and two more books without the initial, then used the M for his science fiction titles. His parents intended Menzies to be his middle name but made a mistake registering him.

5. Booker T Jones of the band Booker T and the MGs. Named for Booker T Washington but in his case the T stands for no name.

6. David O Selznick. Producer Gone with the Wind. Born with no middle initial he added one because he fancied it.

7. Benoit B Mandelbrot. The B is a maths joke. Mandelbrot invented the word fractal to describe patterns that repeat themselves infinitely. 

8. ‏Michael J Fox. There was already a Michael Fox registered with the Screen Actors Guild and Fox didn’t like his real middle initial, A for Andrew.

9. Russell T Davies. The re-inventor of Doctor Who was born Stephen Russell Davies. The T was chosen at random to distinguish him from the Radio 4 presenter. 

10. Harry H Corbett. Played the son in Steptoe and Son, and added the H, which he said stood for “Hennyfink”, to avoid confusion with the other one, creator of the glove puppet Sooty.

PS Johnny Cash was christened John R Cash but the R was dropped when he served in the military.