Monograms and Hyphenated Last Names

[smuflo]

Hi all, got a quick question for you about monograms.  DH and I have created an issue with our last name, and I’m not sure how it should be handled in cases where we need a monogram/initials/etc.  Honestly, I didn’t think this type of thing would come up very often, but you’d be surprised. 

My DH and I have a hyphenated last name that is MyOriginalname-HisOriginalName.  Let’s say my husband’s name is Robert Luis Smith-Jones.   Which is his correct monogram?

1.   RLSJ (using both letters from the name).
2.   RLS (using only the first letter)
3.   RLJ (using his original last name)
4.   RSJ (eliminating his middle name)

Essentially the question is when your last name is a hyphenate, how should it be handled?  If you were going to create a file for this last name would you create it under S or J?

[TootsNYC]

Hyphenated names are a single-unit item, and they begin with their first letter.

So your  husband is alphabetized until S, for "Smith-Jones."


I don't know about the monograms. You could apply that same argument--he is RLS.

But of course, he's holding onto the Jones for a reason, so my vote would be to never use the monogram style w/ the big center initial, and be "RSJ."

It would look to weird to have  4 letters, though I'm not sure anybody could say he was *wrong*

[artk2002]

From the online version of Crane's

The initials you use represent your first name, middle name, and hyphenated maiden and married names. All four of your initials appear in order in monograms in which all of the initials are the same size. Your hyphenated maiden and married names appear in the center of monograms that normally have a larger middle initial. The initial representing your first name appears to the left while your middle initial appears to the right. The hyphen does appear between your maiden and married initials. Since most monogram styles are designed for three initials, you should make sure that the monogram you choose looks good with four initials. Before ordering hundreds of notes, it might be a good idea to ask to see a proof.

Although this is addressed at women, I would assume that the same applies to men.  If you're using the larger letters in the center, Robert Luis Smith-Jones would be: RSJL  If they're all the same size, then it's RLSJ.

[smuflo]

thanks Toots and artk.  That was helpful.

All we wanted was to have a combined last name, you'd think we'd murdered someone sometimes with the responses we get. 

What brought this up in my mind was this weekend DH got given a monogramed gift by his brother.  DH wasn't sure what the propper etiquette was for monograms, so he asked me.  I had no idea, so I asked you guys