Plurals of Names and Other Proper Nouns
Summary
Form the plural of a given or a family name by adding s. If the name ends in a sibilant sound (like s, x, z), add es instead.
- There are two Johns, three Nancys, and four Agneses in my class.
- Are the Smiths here yet?
- The Joneses live next door to the Murrays.
Avoid using an apostrophe to form a plural.
- Poor: The Johnson’s and the Garcia’s are old family friends.
Better: The Johnsons and the Garcias are old family friends.
Don’t add es or ies to given or family names ending in vowels or those ending in y; simply add s.
- Incorrect: We have invited the Castilloes and Murphies to dinner.
Correct: We have invited the Castillos and Murphys to dinner.
To form the possessive of a plural name, add an apostrophe after—not before—the s that forms the plural.
- Incorrect: Is that the Brown’s car parked in your driveway?
Correct: Is that the Browns’ car parked in your driveway?
The general rule
Add s or es without an apostrophe to form the plural of a name or other proper noun.
- Both Jacks are guitarists, and both Jills are drummers.
- We have three Ryans, two Janes, and three Jennys in the family.
- The Williamses and Perezes are neighbors.
- Do the Danbys still live here?
- The Patels and the Smiths are on holiday together in Portugal.
- The Rousseaus and Mendozas are old family friends.
People’s names are proper nouns and do not have a dictionary-defined plural form. There are, however, accepted style guidelines on how to form plurals of names. In this article, we discuss how to pluralize given and last names in English, along with some exceptions.
Use of apostrophe
In general, don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name.
- Incorrect: The Garcia’s have moved to Seattle.
Correct: The Garcias have moved to Seattle. - Incorrect: The Murphy’s and the Murray’s have always lived next door to each other.
Correct: The Murphys and the Murrays have always lived next door to each other. - Incorrect: Nobody cares anymore about keeping up with the Jones’s.
Correct: Nobody cares anymore about keeping up with the Joneses. - Incorrect: We have invited the Smith’s and the Ali’s over for dinner.
Correct: We have invited the Smiths and the Alis over for dinner. - Incorrect: There were two Lucy’s, three Anita’s, and four Mitch’s on board the ship.
Correct: There were two Lucys, three Anitas, and four Mitches on board the ship.
With names ending in vowels, an apostrophe can sometimes help avoid confusion or improve readability.
- We have two Denise’s and two Denises in our hiking group.
Use an apostrophe to distinguish between the plurals of the names “Denise” and “Denis.”
- We have two Mary’s and two Maryses in the family already.
The apostrophe helps avoid confusion between the names “Mary” and “Marys.”
Such sentences are often better reworded.
Use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name only if not using one would result in confusion.
Names ending in s and other sibilants
Add es without an apostrophe to form the plural of a name ending in s, x, z, and other sibilants like ch, sh, and j.
- The Harrises live next door to the Diazes.
- The Hendrixes’ cat is in our window.
- The Walshes and the Williamses run a soup kitchen downtown.
- We have two Alexes, two Nikolajes, two Mitches, and three Inezes in the family.
- Neither of the Charleses I know is a prince.
Add es, not ses, to form the plural of a name ending in s.
- Incorrect: The Harrisses live in California.
Correct: The Harrises live in California. - Incorrect: Both Thomasses are writers.
Correct: Both Thomases are writers.
Don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name ending in s, x, z, and other sibilant sounds.
- Incorrect: The Jones’s are selling their house.
Correct: The Joneses are selling their house. - Incorrect: The Lopez’s have adopted a dog from the local shelter.
Correct: The Lopezes have adopted a dog from the local shelter.
Names ending in vowels
Add s to form the plural of a name ending in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). Avoid using an apostrophe before the s.
- We have two Ritas, three Janes, and two Lulus in class this year.
- Have the Bianchis been informed?
- Did you ask the Russos about it?
Don’t add es to form the plural; add just s, even for names that end in i or o.
- Incorrect: You know the Rossies better than I.
Correct: You know the Rossis better than I. - Incorrect: Both Pabloes are guitarists.
Correct: Both Pablos are guitarists.
Very rarely, plurals of names ending in vowels like a or i can benefit from the use of an apostrophe, which can aid with pronunciation and also improve clarity. But use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name only when not using one could result in confusion.
- Both Luca’s are artists, and both Lucases are writers.
The apostrophe helps distinguish the plural of “Luca” from the name “Lucas.”
Names ending in y
To form the plural of a name ending in y, simply add s after the y, without an apostrophe.
- They have four Dannys and three Marys in the family.
not Dannies or Maries
- My aunts were obsessed with the Kennedys.
not the Kennedies
- The Dalys come from Howth, while the Murphys are from Drogheda.
To form the plural of a name ending in y, don’t change the y to ies; simply add s.
- Incorrect: The Murphies have opened a new store downtown.
Correct: The Murphys have opened a new store downtown. - Incorrect: Both Harries are princes.
Correct: Both Harrys are princes.
Names ending in other consonants
Simply add s without an apostrophe to pluralize given or last names ending in consonants other than s or other sibilants.
- The Jacks and the Jills are busy fetching water.
- The Singhs have bought a new car.
- He and the Johnsons work together at the store.
- The Smiths and the Millers are neighbors.
- They live next door to the Nguyens.
Plurals of other proper nouns
Plurals of other proper nouns (such as names of brands, businesses, countries, and regions) are formed the same way as plurals of people’s names: by adding s or es.
The Americas can be roughly divided into two major cultural regions.
— “Americas,” Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed June 13, 2022)He found that even small departments and universities were buying top-of-the-range Audis, BMWs and Mercedes Benzes.
— “Russians Tire of Corruption Spectacle,” BBC News (Mar. 6, 2012)The vast data centers that process information for the Facebooks and Amazons of the Web work at a brisk clip.
— “A Wireless Way around Data Traffic Jams,” New York Times (Jan. 14, 2012)I think there are many interesting stories to be told of the two Germanys.
— “Germans Fascinated by Life on Either Side of Berlin Wall,” Guardian (Feb. 14, 2015)It’s competing against the General Motorses and the General Electrics of the world.
— “Red Ink,” PBS (transcript, Feb. 19, 2004)Conflicts of interest . . . are everyday occurrences for the Morgan Stanleys and Goldman Sachses of the world.
— “Can There Be Investment Banks Without Conflicts?” Harvard Business Review (Feb. 5, 2010)They prefer to call themselves ‘financial services companies,’ just like the American Expresses and the Merrill Lynches.
— “A Bank, by Any Other Name . . .,” New York Times (Dec. 27, 1981)
Possessives of plural names
To form the possessive of a plural name, place an apostrophe after the s that indicates the plural. For example, to refer to the Smith family, add s to the name (the Smiths), then place an apostrophe after the final s to form the possessive (the Smiths’ car). Here are some more examples.
- Is that the Garcias’ cat?
- For many, the Jacksons’ music defined the eighties.
- The Millers’ story is similar to the Joneses’.
To form a possessive, never insert an apostrophe before the s that forms the plural; always add one after.
- Incorrect: the Wilson’s car
Correct: the Wilsons’ car
Be careful with names that end in s and other sibilants. Form the possessive by placing an apostrophe after the final s.
- Incorrect: Is that the Roberts’ dog eating all your roses?
The plural of the surname “Roberts” is “Robertses.” Form the plural, and then add an apostrophe.Correct: Is that the Robertses’ dog eating all your roses?
- Incorrect: The Martinez’s bookstore has shut down.
Correct: The Martinezes’ bookstore has shut down.
Similarly, with names that end in vowels, remember to place an apostrophe after—not before—the s that forms the plural.
- Incorrect: I’ve lost the Moore’s invitation.
Correct: I’ve lost the Moores’ invitation. - Incorrect: The Mendoza’s garden party is tomorrow.
Correct: The Mendozas’ garden party is tomorrow.
Examples from published content
Here are some examples from literature and other published content that show how names are pluralized. Note how s is generally used to form the plural, except when a name ends in a sibilant sound, when es is used instead. Also note the absence of apostrophes in the plural forms shown below.
Peeping through the meshes of the hammock, he saw the Marches coming out, as if bound on some expedition.
— Louisa May Alcott, Little Women (1868)That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutely necessary.
— Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)I maintain that the Ewells started it all.
— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)It would be no less unreasonable if ‘Tender is the Night’ were known primarily as a novel inspired by the Murphys.
— “Books of the Times,” New York Times (June 25, 1971)You can try the same with all the Harrys, Harrises and Harrisons. Some might even want to add in all the Henrys as well.
— “Baby Names: Peaky Blinders ‘May Have Inspired’ Choices,” BBC Culture (Aug. 29, 2019)To be fair, all Annas are doomed to fade in the lingering light of Garbo.
— “Goings On about Town,” New Yorker (Accessed June 17, 2022)
Usage guide
In general, form the plural of a given or a last name by adding s (two Alices in the family, the Smiths, the Garcias). For names ending in y, simply add s, not ies (the Duffys, the Murphys). If the name ends in a sibilant like s, z, or x, add es instead (the Williamses, the Perezes). Don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name, except when not using one would result in confusion. Finally, be careful with forming possessives of plural names: always place an apostrophe after the final s (the Woods’ cat, the Joneses’ car).