Last week I posted a pluralization pop quiz. How did you do? Let’s see. We’ll begin with the questions I received prompting the pop quiz.

Question 1: How do I make my family’s last name plural on holiday cards?

Question 2: What if my last name ends with an “s”?

Question 3: What if my last name ends with an “x,” or a “z,” or an “sh,” or with “ch”?

Question 4: What if my last name ends with “y”?

Drum roll please. The answer to the above questions is: No apostrophe is needed. Ever. Never use apostrophes to pluralize your last name on your greeting cards. Ever.

The explanation is simple. Apostrophes show possession and are not used to make names plural. When we write “Merry Christmas from the Stanleys” or “Love, the Drumwrights,” we are referring to more than one person bearing the name Stanley saying “Merry Christmas” from that household. The Drumwrights are plural people with the same last name sending their love. There’s no possession; therefore, there’s no apostrophe needed. If we’ve been invited to a “Jingle Jingle Mix and Mingle” party by a family whose last name is Schoggen (more than one person with the name Schoggen), then we have been invited by the Schoggens.

But, what if your last name already ends with “s.” Still no apostrophe. When we make common nouns that end in “s” plural, we typically add an “es.” For example, the plural of business is businesses. The same is true for names. If the last name is Adkins, the plural is Adkinses. If the last name is Humphreys, the plural is Humphreyses (I know that looks ugly, but it is correct.) When we talk about “keeping up with the Joneses,” even that saying doesn’t require an apostrophe.

For the answers to the remaining questions, check out next week’s post.

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Photo by Elena Golovchenko