Three Letter Boy Names

Rhythmic and unusual.

This zippy short form of Zachary is more and more often standing on its own -- sometimes as Zac, Zach, Zack, or even Zakk -- but this simple-yet-straightforward version may be the very best.

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

This short form of classic Victor is popular in its own right in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Literary Indian choice, best known here via acclaimed writer Ved Mehta, who lost his sight at the age of four.

Short, simple international names like this make distinctive middle name possibilities. Nir also makes for a nature-oriented first name that's both straightforward and unusual. But be prepared for a lifetime of "...and far" jokes.

This is a name you get stuck with, not (we hope) one your parents choose for you.

Strongly associated with Cuban revolutionary Guevara.

An earthy rock'n'roll name with multiple origins. The Roc was a giant bird in Middle Eastern legend.

A common Scandinavian name, but hard to imagine being used elsewhere.

More commonly spelled JUDD, this is a strong but sensitive short form that can easily stand on its own.

Jac is one of the new "creative" variations of Jack, a name on the rise in its own right and not just as a short form of John. But why, when Jack is so simple and so familiar, make it Jac and invite people to guess whether it's pronounced like Jake, or maybe like the French Jacques.

Short form of the Biblical name Abiah or Abijah, meaning "my father is God".

Also a synonym for the Hebrew month of Iyar, which usuually falls in May, would work and play well with others like Zev and Lev.

A forgotten nickname for Columbus, which itself is becoming ever rarer. Radio comedy program Lum and Abner, which ran for over two decades beginning in 1931, featured a character named Columbus "Lum" Edwards.

A spiritual word name — as in Noah's Ark and the Ark of the Covenant — that also fits the trend for short, punchy words like Oak and Ace. It's rare (used for 7 boys in 2020) but could sail far.

Short form of Alfred that had fallen out of favor, but could come back alongside Alfie and other clunky old-style nicknames like Gus and Ike.

Pol, pronounced as "pole," though a popular Breton name, would be an unusual form of a simple classic elsewhere. The Breton Saint Pol Aurelian was known as a slayer of dragons and a founder of monasteries.

Commonly heard as a nickname for Alejandro, but a rare sight on the birth certificate. Ale has only made the US charts for boys twice, once in 2005 and again in 2018.