In Cleveland Amory’s Celebrity Register, the name of a famous jazz pianist is given as Thelonius Sphere Monk. Elsewhere, however, I find his first name spelled Thelonious. Which one is right? 
According to Amazon, about a billion Google links, and my cat, it’s Thelonious.
I’ve always seen it as “Thelonious”.
But I ain’t his daddy, so I couldn’t say for sure.
Thelonious.
The real question is where the name comes from…how common is it? (I note that one letter to Cecil Adams came from a Thelonious.) I’ve also heard a few conflicting stories about the origins of his middle name. --N
And for a little bit of trivia?
The shortened nickname version of Thelonious?
Till
According to Tabitha Soren, it’s “The Loneliest Monk.” 