You’re staring at a holiday card. Or maybe you're addressing a wedding invite. You’ve got the Williams family, the Joneses, and that one friend with the last name Bass. Your brain freezes. Do you add an apostrophe? Do you just leave it alone and hope nobody notices? Most people panic and throw a random apostrophe at the end like they’re seasoning a steak.
Don't do that.
Getting the plural for last names ending in s right is actually pretty straightforward, yet it’s one of the most common grammar mistakes in the English language. Honestly, it’s not your fault. We’ve been conditioned to think that an "s" at the end of a word always needs a little floating comma to make sense. It doesn't.
The Golden Rule of Plurals
Forget possession for a second. When you are talking about a group of people who share a name—the whole family—you are making the name plural. You aren't showing that they own the house; you're just saying there are a bunch of them.
For 90% of names, you just add an "s." The Smiths. The Walkers. Simple. But when the name already ends in an "s" sound—think s, z, ch, or sh—you have to add an "es."
The plural for last names ending in s is always formed by adding "es." No exceptions. No apostrophes.
If you’re visiting the home of Bill and Sue Jones, you are visiting the Joneses. If you’re hanging out with the Davises, you’ve added that "es" because "Daviss" looks like a typo and sounds like a snake hissing. It’s about phonetics. You need that extra syllable to actually hear that there’s more than one person involved.
Why the Apostrophe is Your Enemy Here
Here is where the wheels fall off. People see "The Jones’s" or "The Jones’" on a wooden sign over a fireplace and think, "Yeah, that looks classy."
It’s wrong.
An apostrophe signifies possession. If you write "The Jones’," you are saying "The Jones’ [something]." The Jones’ dog? Sure. The Jones’ house? Fine. But if you just mean the people themselves, the apostrophe has no business being there. It’s a grammatical intruder.
Style guides like the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style are actually in total agreement on this, which is rare. They both say: to make a name plural, add "s" or "es."
I’ve seen people argue that names ending in "s" are "special." They aren't. We treat them just like regular nouns. If you have one circus, you have two circuses. If you have one bus, you have two buses. If you have one Glass (the surname), you have the Glasses.
Breaking Down the "S" Sounds
It's not just the literal letter "s" that triggers the "es" rule. It's the sound. Linguists call these "sibilants." Basically, if the name ends in a hissing or buzzing sound, you need the "es" to make it plural.
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- Names ending in S: Jones becomes Joneses.
- Names ending in Z: Gomez becomes Gomezes.
- Names ending in X: (If the X is pronounced like "ks"): The Felixes. (If it's silent, like some French names, things get weird, but "s" is usually the safe bet).
- Names ending in CH: The Finches.
- Names ending in SH: The Bushes.
Think about the name Ross. If you say "I’m going to see the Ross’s," you’re using a possessive form. If you say "I’m going to see the Rosses," you’re using the plural. It sounds exactly the same when spoken, which is probably why we’re so bad at writing it down.
The "Wait, That Looks Weird" Factor
I get it. "The Rogerses" looks bizarre. It looks like you stuttered while typing. Because of this "visual awkwardness," many people try to cheat. They write "The Rogers Family" to avoid the pluralization altogether.
That is a perfectly legal move. It’s the "coward’s way out" of grammar, but hey, it’s 100% correct. If you feel like "The Strausses" looks like a German philosophy textbook gone wrong, just write "The Strauss Family." You’ll sleep better at night.
But if you want to be precise, you have to embrace the "es."
Possession vs. Pluralization: The Final Boss
Now, what if you want to show that the Jones family owns a boat? This is where the plural for last names ending in s meets its final form: the plural possessive.
- Start with the plural: Joneses.
- Add the apostrophe at the end: Joneses’.
"We’re going to the Joneses’ boat."
It looks like a lot of letters. It feels like overkill. But logically, it follows the rules of the language. You pluralize first, then you possess.
Let's look at the name Williams.
Plural: The Williamses are coming over.
Possessive: Mr. Williams’ coat is on the floor.
Plural Possessive: The Williamses’ house is the blue one.
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Most people mess this up because they try to do both steps at once and end up with "The William’s." That's just one guy named William who somehow owns the rest of his family.
Real-World Examples and Missteps
You see these mistakes everywhere. High-end stationery, wedding invitations, even tombstones.
There was a famous instance where a major political campaign sent out mailers referring to "The Obama’s." It’s a common slip-up, even for professional editors. Because "Obama" ends in a vowel, people get twitchy and think it needs an apostrophe to "protect" the vowel. It doesn't. It’s just "The Obamas."
For names like "Hastings," it’s already got an "s." So, it becomes "The Hastingses."
Does it sound like you're Gollum from Lord of the Rings? Yes. "The Hastingses, precious!" But it is correct.
Why Does This Even Matter?
You might think this is just pedantry. Who cares about an extra "e" or a misplaced comma?
In the world of professional writing, branding, and formal social etiquette, these details are the "green M&Ms" of your competence. If you get the small, fixed rules of grammar wrong, people subconsciously wonder what else you’re missing.
If you are a real estate agent printing "Welcome to the Smith's!" on a closing gift, you are technically saying the gift belongs to one person named Smith. If you’re a lawyer sending a formal letter to "The Higgins’," you’re showing a lack of attention to detail.
A Quick Cheat Sheet for the Next Time You're Stuck
If you aren't sure, follow this mental checklist:
- Is there more than one of them? If yes, you need a plural, not just a possessive.
- Does the name end in s, z, ch, or sh? If yes, add "es."
- Does the name end in any other letter? If yes, just add "s."
- Do you want to show they own something? Add an apostrophe after the plural "s" or "es."
- Does it still look "wrong" to your eyes? Just add the word "Family" after the name and leave the name singular.
Basically, the apostrophe is a tool for ownership, not a tool for "more than one."
Common "S" Names and Their Correct Plurals
- Adams: The Adamses
- Brooks: The Brookses
- Christmas: The Christmases
- Davis: The Davises
- Edwards: The Edwardses
- Evans: The Evanses
- Flowers: The Flowerses
- Glass: The Glasses
- Harris: The Harrises
- Holmes: The Holmeses
- James: The Jameses
- Jones: The Joneses
- Lewis: The Lewises
- Mars: The Marses
- Morris: The Morrises
- Myers: The Myerses
- Nichols: The Nicholses
- Owens: The Owenses
- Parsons: The Parsonses
- Rhodes: The Rhodeses
- Ross: The Rosses
- Simmons: The Simmonses
- Stevens: The Stevenses
- Travis: The Travises
- Wells: The Wellses
- Williams: The Williamses
The "Silent S" Exception
There is one tiny, annoying corner of English grammar involving French names. If you have a name like "Descartes," the "s" is silent. Some style guides suggest that because you don't pronounce the sibilant, you just add an "s" and it stays silent. "The Descartes" (pronounced Day-cart).
Honestly? Unless you are writing a dissertation on 17th-century philosophy, you can probably ignore this. Most people will just add the "s" or use the "Family" workaround to avoid the headache.
Actionable Next Steps
Check your own mailbox. Look at the return labels on the last three pieces of personal mail you received. I bet at least one of them gets this wrong.
If you are currently planning a wedding or sending out invitations:
- Audit your guest list. Highlight every name ending in s, z, x, ch, or sh.
- Apply the "es" rule. Change "The Harris’" to "The Harrises."
- Remove all apostrophes unless you are specifically talking about someone’s house (e.g., "At the Miller’s Home"). Even then, "At the Millers’" (plural possessive) is usually more accurate if a couple lives there.
- Proofread visually. If a name like "The Bushes" looks too much like a shrubbery to you, write "The Bush Family."
Consistency is better than perfection, but when it comes to the plural for last names ending in s, the rules are actually on your side. They are consistent, even if they look a little funny at first. Stop fearing the extra syllable. Embrace the "es." Your high school English teacher—and your very observant friends—will thank you.