plurals of family names

To pluralize most family names, we add a simple s:

• The Browns enjoy winter sports.
• Have you met the Kilroys?
• The Clancys and the McNamaras are from Ireland.
• The Abdullahs live on Castor Court, beside the Greenbergs.

Names ending in ch, s, sh, x and z

To pluralize family names that end in ch, s, sh, x and z, we add an es in most cases:

• The Welches have two children.
• That farm was sold to the Lewises.
• The Nashes run their own business.
• The Hendrixes raise thoroughbred horses.
• Two of those cats belong to the Alvarezes.

Names ending in s with a hard z sound

Of course, every exception has its exceptions! When a family name ends in an s that sounds like a hard z (like the s in buys), in most cases its spelling remains unchanged in the plural. In other words, we don’t add an es to make it plural:

• The Andrews enjoy fine dining.
• We met the Waters on our vacation to Cuba.

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TERMIUM Plus^®, la banque de données terminologiques et linguistiques du gouvernement du Canada
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