Three Letter Boy Names

Abstract painter Ad Reinhardt, né Adolph, gave his short name a lot of artistic cred, but it remained securely a nickname. The extra "d" in this version helps it stand on its own, for better or worse.

This spelling pares Will down to the bare minimum — and why not? It is also a Welsh diminutive of William / Wiliam / Gwilym.

In Slavic cultures, Saint Vitus is called Sveti Vid, making this a saintly appellation.

Christian Igbo people use Chi as the name for their god.

Adverse associations with the ruthless Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

Sef is a rising short form of Jozef in the Netherlands, where it outranks its parent form.

Professional surfer Craig Elmer Chapman went by the avian nickname Owl. We could see it working as a given name, a la Hawk and Dove.

A cool sounding nickname with associations to Bill Cosby.