Neal Whitman points out that they were missing something too. When indicating the possessive, if there is more than one owner add an apostrophe to the plural; if there is one owner, add 's to the singular (The Smiths' car vs. Smith's car). The Andersons’ dog was so cute!” Andersons ~~ is plural of … You're not trying to make your last name possessive, which is what adding an apostrophe does (the Smith's). As in, “I went to see the Andersons last night. For your last name, it ends in ‘s,’ so just add the ‘es’: “Merry Christmas from the Mayses” or … The members of the Johnson and Smith families, for instance, are the Johnsons and the Smiths, not the Johnson’s and the Smith’s. The Smith's (with an apostrophe before the s) is the possessive of "Smith" and … Then, add an apostrophe at … If your last name feels really confusing, ending with a ‘ys,’ like in “Mays” or “Humphreys,” don’t panic—the rule is always the same. To show possession of a whole family: First, add -es or -s to write the family’s last name in plural form. Don’t use apostrophes when you mean to make last names plural. Names are pluralized like regular words. As for what to tack on, usually you only have to add an s to the end of their entire last name—even if the last letter is y. Do you put an apostrophe after a last name that ends in “s”? For most names, you add an apostrophe and an … If it’s singular, whether a surname or first name, it should be apostrophe + “s.” I don’t care whether it’s James or John, Jones or Smith. Plural last names. The logic is that all names should be treated the same. The rules for using apostrophes with names are basically the same as those for all other nouns. With personal names that end in -s but are not spoken with an extra s: just add an apostrophe after the -s. For James, the plural possessive sounds as if it has two S sounds when we pronounce it, so we would use an apostrophe and an S. Here are some more examples: James’s father is in the hospital. Here's why. When in doubt, we like to use "The Smith Family". The Whole Family’s Last Name. Apostrophe rules also mention that if the family name has ending like x, ch, sh, or z, however, we need to add … Right: The Smiths also want a gerbil. For names ending in s, form the possessive either by simply adding an apostrophe (Lucas’ letters) or by adding an apostrophe as well as ( Extra: When to use as well as) another s (Silas’s phone). Last names ending in s are no different. Don’t change the spelling of your last name and don’t add an apostrophe. Apostrophes in Company Names A former contestant on the reality show The Apprentice started a business named Bakers Toolkit, and her Twitter followers went bonkers about the missing apostrophe. You need to use the best formula and stay consistent all the time. Most nouns ending in s are pluralized by adding es. A~~~~~Only when it’s plural-possessive. What to Know. It's not right, and it doesn't. The possessive of a plural name is always formed by adding an apostrophe after the final s (the Smiths’ dog, … Wrong: The Smith’s also want a gerbil. The … Apostrophes with Names Ending in S. Common nouns: When it comes to grammar rules for apostrophe after s, you should be consistent in writing. Classically, it is not correct to just add an apostrophe to a last name that already ends in “s” if it is singular possessive. Add -es for names ending in "s" or "z" and add -s for everything else. On a return address is using an apostrophe on a last name: The Smiths is plural for "Smith" and means there is more than one person named Smith and the invitation is from them all. Making a last name plural should never involve an apostrophe. 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