Editing Monogram (section)

==Individual monograms==
[[File:Dress shirt monogram locations.svg|thumb|Dress shirt monogram locations]]

An individual's monogram may appear in stylized form on stationery, luggage, clothing, or other personalized items. These monograms may have two or three letters.

A basic 3-letter monogram has the initial of the individual's last name (surname) set larger, or with some special treatment in the center, while the first name initial appears to the left of it and the middle name initial appears to the right of it. There is a difference in how this is written for men and women. For example, if the individual's name is Mary Ann Jones, and Jones is the surname, then the arrangement of letters would be thus: '''M<big>J</big>A''', with the surname initial set larger in the center, the '''M''' for Mary to the left and the '''A''' for Ann to the right.<ref name="3LM">Jeanine Twigg, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=j6e847_n3MUC&pg=PA43 Embroidery Machine Essentials: How to Stabilize, Hoop and Stitch Decorative Designs]'', KP Craft, 2001, {{ISBN|0-87341-999-5}}, p. 43.</ref> Traditionally, individual monograms for men<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.simplystamps.com/blog/2016/06/30/monogram-guide-how-to/ |title = Monogram Guide {{!}} Simply Stamps How-To| date=30 June 2016 }}</ref> are based on the order of the name. The name Kyle George Martin would be written ('''KGM''').

Married or engaged couples may use two-letter monograms of their entwined initials, for example on [[wedding invitations]]. Married couples may also create three-letter monograms incorporating the initial of their shared surname. For example, the monogram '''M<big>J</big>A''' might be used for Michael and Alice Jones.<ref name="3LM"/> However, monogramming etiquette for the married couple varies according to the item being monogrammed. [[Linens]], for example, typically list the woman's given initial first, followed by the couple's shared surname initial and then the man's given initial ('''A<big>J</big>M''').
Monograms can often be found on custom dress shirts where they can be located in a number of different positions.

Some personal monograms have become famous symbols in their own right and instantly recognizable to many, such as [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s monogram.