Some census takers were plain lazy, some couldn’t spell, and some didn’t care.
After you have exhausted all the variations on your ancestor’s first and middle names, consider that they might have been enumerated with just their initials. Or perhaps their first initial and their middle name spelled out. I have seen entire townships where no one apparently had a first name and everyone was named with their initials. I have seen locations where census takers used initials for non-English names instead of trying to spell them correctly.
Your ancestor may have been listed in any record with his initials. Don’t assume that because he usually appeared with his first name that some clerk, writer, or editor didn’t refer to him with his initials.
Maybe your ancestor was enumerated as J. Smith in the 1860 census. Now there’s a real problem.
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I came across a whole town (I think the 1850 or 1860 census) where all the wives were just listed as “Mrs.” + last name. No first names.
I was looking for my husband’s ancestor in the 1860 VA census in Loudoun Co. I knew the ancestor’s full name was William Henry Harrison Harper, but it took me three censuses before I realized that he was listed by three different first names in three different censuses — 1860 — Harrison; 1870 — William; and 1880 — W.H.H.
So sometimes, if you look at other censuses in the same place and compare the names, you will find your person!
I found my gggrandfather’s family in the 1860 in Kansas by using their initials. It didn’t help any that his first name is William!