How to write plural surnames in English

Writing correctly and accurately is always important when composing a letter in English. In this article, let's learn together how to write plural names in English !

In general, the etiquette rules for writing plural surnames in English are pretty simple: Just add s ! But this doesn't apply to every type of name, so it confuses many people who aren't yet fluent in English.

" Plural usage is almost impossible to get wrong in speech; it just gets tricky in writing," says Lisa McLendon, PhD, author of The Perfect English Grammar Workbook and professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Kansas. " No one gets 'keeping up with the Joneses' wrong when speaking, but let them write it, and you'll get a bunch of different answers, like Jones, Jones's, Joneses, and Jones. ' " The biggest problem here, says Lisa McLendon, is that people are unsure about how to use the apostrophe because it's so often used incorrectly.

But taking the time to get it right is well worth it, says Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and author of Modern Etiquette for a Better Life. ' Spelling someone's name correctly, including the plural, is a way to show respect and care ,' she says, ' especially when you're writing it on a birthday card, wedding invitation, RSVP, thank you card, or condolence card .'

Don't worry, you don't need an English degree to write them correctly. Here are some simple grammar rules to help you write plural surnames in English.

How to pluralize most surnames in English

Most of the time, writing plural surnames is easy: When you want to address an entire family with the same surname, just add s to the end.

For example:

Anderson → Andersons
Smith → Smiths
Garcia → Garcias
Gupta → Guptas
Romano → Romanos
Nguyen → Nguyens

There are exceptions, however, for people whose last names end in ch, s, sh, z, or x.

If they end in ch, s, sh or z

Need to send Christmas wishes to the March, Walsh, Davis, and Gonzalez families? Here are some names that are often spelled plural incorrectly. For example, Gonzalez is very often spelled Gonzalez's, which is incorrect. The apostrophe indicates possession.

What is the correct way to pluralize surnames in English? Add es to the end of surnames ending in z . Do the same when pluralizing surnames ending in s , ch , or sh . For example, Mr. and Mrs. Claus become Clauses.

For example:

March → Marches
Jones → Joneses
Walsh → Walshes
Davis → Davises
Gutierrez → Gutierrezes
Gonzalez → Gonzalezes

If they end in x

There are two possible ways to pluralize a surname ending in x , and to avoid grammatical errors, you may need to say the name out loud. Pay attention to see if you can hear the x sound .

For surnames ending in an x ​​sound , add es . For surnames ending in a silent x , add s .

For example:

Beaux → Beauxs
Cox → Coxes

If they end in y or i

When the plural of a common noun ends in y , we drop the y and add ies . Similarly, for words ending in i , we add es. That's how puppy becomes puppies and chili becomes chilis.

This is not true for proper nouns. You should never change the spelling of a name, even when making it plural. Instead, pluralizing surnames that end in y or i simply requires you to add an s to the end.

For example:

Murphy → Murphys
Rosetti → Rosettis
Zachary → Zacharys
Godoy → Godoys

Rules for writing apostrophes

The rules for using apostrophes can be confusing! You've probably seen people pluralize last names by adding an apostrophe—like Jones or Paulson. This isn't correct.

" To make simple plurals, there's no need for an apostrophe: Muellers, Changs, Sanchezes ," McLendon says . " But a lot of people still add an apostrophe there, so other people think, Oh, that's probably true, even though I thought I learned in school that we don't need an apostrophe there ."

In short: Apostrophes are used to show ownership or possession, not to name a group or make a surname plural. In other words, if you're referring to the Jones family, you'd address the card as Jones. If you're talking about their house, you'd write "the Jones house."

Kareem Winters

Update 09 December 2024