Is a wildcard SSL required for a single subdomain?

A typical SSL cert is based on a common name for the domain (domain.com) sometimes (www.domain.com) as well.

I understand what a wildcard cert is used for (*.domain.com) and it would/should validate all subdomains for that domain.

If I want to have a single subdomain covered with an SSL certificate (mail.domain.com), is a wildcard certificate the only option? Or is it possible to use a standard SSL cert issued for that single subdomain?

I'm not asking for best practices, or a reason why one 'should really just use a wildcard cert'. I am asking from a technical standpoint of it being possible to secure a single subdomain with an SSL domain validated certificate that is NOT a wildcard.

You can use SSL cert issued just for mail.domain.com without any problem. The biggest advantage of wildcard certs is there is only "one cert to rule them all" - you don't need to manage dozens of certs.

If you own "domain.com" you can also request a certificate for "mail.domain.com". You will just need to prove your ownership of the root domain.