According to English style guides, singular possessives are formed with –'s and plurals with just an apostrophe, so the possessive of the singular Jones is Jones's and of the plural Joneses is Joneses'.
Names are proper nouns, which become plurals the same way that other nouns do: add the letter -s for most names (“the Johnsons,” “the Websters”) or add -es if the name ends in s or z (“the Joneses,” “the Martinezes”).
The Joneses is correct because it indicates more than one member of the family. The Joneses' indicates possession, as in the Joneses' home.
For example, in our Jones family example, our final address might look something like this: The Jones Family (or "The Joneses")
You add 's to a singular name that ends in s: “Mr. Jones's boss sent him a Christmas card.” But if you're talking about more than one Jones, you add es to make the name plural and an apostrophe to make it possessive: “The Joneses' Christmas card had a picture of the whole family, including the two yellow Labs.”
According to English style guides, singular possessives are formed with –'s and plurals with just an apostrophe, so the possessive of the singular Jones is Jones's and of the plural Joneses is Joneses'.
When making your last name plural, you don't need to add an apostrophe! The apostrophe makes the name possessive. The last letter of your last name will determine if you add an “-s” or an “-es”. If your last name ends in -s, -z, -ch, -sh, or -x, you add -es to your last name to make it plural.
Using Apostrophes to Show Possession
If the singular noun ends in s, you can choose whether to add 's or just an apostrophe. It doesn't matter which you choose, but you should be consistent throughout your piece of writing. e.g., Mr. Jones's car or Mr.
In most cases, you only have to add an s to the end of their entire last name—even if the last letter is y. So the Smith family becomes the Smiths, the Angelo family becomes the Angelos, and the Perry family becomes the Perrys.
The recipient's family name and address goes in the center of the envelope. You should always include last names on an envelope address. You do not use an apostrophe with last names in addresses. Add an "s" to the end of last names that don't end in "s," and add an "es" to the end of last names that end in "s."
Rule: To form the plural of a last name that ends with an s, add an es. To form the possessive of the plural, add an apostrophe.
Possessive names are created by adding an apostrophe -s to the end of the name to show ownership of something. Plural possessive names are created by first making the name plural and then adding possession through the addition of an apostrophe.
The Chicago Manual of Style, the AP Stylebook, Garner's Modern American Usage, and the Cambridge Guide to English Usage all say to make names that end with -s plural by adding -es, and they make no exceptions for pronunciation. Garner is particularly adamant that adding -es is the only way to do it.
To form the possessive, add apostrophe + s to the noun. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. The first option is more common.
Do you say James' or James's? Both James' and James's are grammatically correct. Certain academic writing styles prefer one version over the other, but it doesn't matter which one you use in your regular, written English.
Unlike singular possessives, which take an apostrophe followed by an S, plural possessives take an apostrophe alone. So if you're going to the home of the Smiths, you're going to the Smiths' house. If you're going to visit the Williamses, that would be at the Williamses' house.
The Rules for (Correctly) Pluralizing Your Last Name
Unless you want to make your last name possessive, there aren't any circumstances where you would need to add an apostrophe.
For showing family possession with surnames that are plural and possessive, make the name plural first by adding an “s” and then add an apostrophe to make them possessive. The Smiths' car was parked illegally. (The car belonged to Mr. and Mrs.
An apostrophe is needed after the final s to show possession (i.e., the Joneses own the house). An apostrophe is not needed with Mrs. Jones because there is no ownership.
It depends on where you're from. If you are in the U.S., use “Miss Jones' car.” If you are in the U.K., use “Miss Jones's car.”
The plural of Rogers is Rogers. The plural of Miles is Miles. The Rogers are joining us for the holidays. (We would not write “Rogerses.”)
The Associated Press Stylebook recommends just an apostrophe: It's Tennessee Williams' best play. But most other authorities endorse 's: Williams's. Williams's means “belonging to Williams.” It is not the plural form of Williams. People's names become plural the way most other words do.
Then, just add an -s. This applies to names that end in vowels, names that end in -y, and names that end in any consonant not already mentioned.
According to Grammarbook.com, the nerds of the world will argue heatedly on the subject for eternity, but the most roundly accepted rule is to include the apostrophe, along with an extra “S.” (Davis's rather than Davis').