Are there names with apostrophes?

By convention, names from classical mythology and the Bible ending in s show possession with the apostrophe only (“Jesus' teachings”). The plurals of last names are just like the plurals of most nouns. They typically get formed by adding -s.

Do you use an apostrophe in names?

Use the apostrophe + s after the second name if two people possess the same item. Otherwise, use an apostrophe after each name. Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose. They already show possession.

Why do people put apostrophes in their names?

An apostrophe in a name usually shows possession (e.g., Smith's car) or indicates a contraction/omission (like Irish O'Malley, meaning 'descendant of'), but sometimes it's just a stylistic choice to join parts of a name (like De'Lacey) or a cultural marker, often substituting for an 'of' or a vowel sound in names from other languages, or representing specific sounds. 

Is James or James's correct?

Both James's and James' are generally considered correct for showing possession, but James's (adding 's) is more common and often preferred in academic writing, while James' (just the apostrophe) is used by some style guides like AP, especially for classical names or when pronouncing the extra 's' feels awkward. The key is to pick one style and remain consistent. 

Can you legally have an apostrophe in your name?

In general, a US born person's legal name is the name shown on the presented U.S. birth certificate (includes hyphens and apostrophes) unless the person's name has changed based on certain events, such as a marriage or a valid court order for a name change.

When to use apostrophes - Laura McClure

Is it Lopez's or Lopez's?

It's Lopez's for a single person (e.g., "Lopez's car"), and Lopezes' for the whole family (e.g., "The Lopezes' house"), but for singular names ending in 's', 'z', etc., some prefer just adding an apostrophe (Lopez') while most style guides accept adding 's (Lopez's), so being consistent is key. 

Is Chris's or Chris correct?

Both Chris's and Chris' are generally considered correct for showing possession, but style guides differ: Chicago Manual of Style prefers Chris's, matching speech, while AP Style (newspapers) uses Chris', adding only an apostrophe for singular names ending in 's'. For clarity and common usage, Chris's (with 's') is often preferred as it reflects pronunciation, but consistency with a chosen style guide (like AP or Chicago) is key. 

Is it Davis or Davis's?

For the name Davis, use Davises for the plural (the two people), Davis's (or Davis') for singular possession (belonging to one person), and Davises' for plural possession (belonging to the whole family). The simplest way for the plural family name is The Davises, while Davis's is a common singular possessive, though some prefer just Davis', and The Davises' is for the family's shared item. 

Which is correct, Lucas's or Lucas?

Both Lucas's and Lucas' are generally considered correct for the possessive of Lucas, but style guides differ, with many modern ones recommending Lucas's, while some prefer just the apostrophe (Lucas') for names ending in 's' to avoid a triple 's' sound, making it a matter of preference or following a specific rule set like MLA. 

Which is correct, Smiths or Smith's?

Use "The Smiths" (plural) for the family name (e.g., "The Smiths are coming over"), and "The Smith's" (singular possessive) for one person's possession (e.g., "The Smith's car") or "The Smiths'" (plural possessive) for the whole family's possession (e.g., "The Smiths' house"), but never "The Smith's" when referring to the family as a group, as the apostrophe isn't for pluralizing names. 

Should a couple's last name have an apostrophe?

Essentially, an apostrophe is only used to convey ownership of something — “The party is at the Joneses' house” or “We went to the Hamiltons' wedding”. When you are just using the name in reference to the couple, those two people are The Lastnames. You do NOT use an apostrophe.

Which is correct, 1950's or 1950s?

It's a plural, not a possessive. You're talking about the years that make up the decade of the 50s. So there are multiple years, that's a plural, therefore no apostrophe.

Which is correct, 70s or 70's?

For the decade, use 70s (no apostrophe before the 's') for the plural, or '70s (with an apostrophe before the 's') as a contraction for 1970s; avoid 70's, as apostrophes usually show possession or missing letters, not simple plurals, though The Chicago Manual of Style prefers the apostrophe for decades.
 

Is it Marcus or Marcus's?

If you're writing for yourself just chose the form you prefer. In all cases the key will be to apply the style consistently. So for example write "Marcus' dog" and "Gus' cat" OR write "Marcus's dog" and "Gus's cat," but avoid mixing (EX: "Marcus' dog" and "Gus's cat").

What are the three rules for apostrophes?

The three main rules for apostrophes are to form possessives (showing ownership, like the dog's bone), create contractions (showing omitted letters, like it's for it is), and make certain plurals of lowercase letters (like mind your p's and q's). They are used for nouns, not usually for regular plural nouns or possessive pronouns (like its, hers, theirs).
 

Is it Rodriguez or Rodriguez's?

Rodriguezes is plural. It means more than one Rodriguez. Rodriguez's is possessive. It means belonging to Rodriguez.

Is it Lopez's or Lopez?

It's Lopez's for a single person (e.g., "Lopez's car"), and Lopezes' for the whole family (e.g., "The Lopezes' house"), but for singular names ending in 's', 'z', etc., some prefer just adding an apostrophe (Lopez') while most style guides accept adding 's (Lopez's), so being consistent is key. 

Is it Jones or Jones's?

Both Jones's and Jones' are used for singular possession (belonging to one Mr. Jones), with Jones's often preferred for clarity or by style guides like The Times, while Jones' is common in AP Style and for names ending in 's', but Joneses is the correct plural form (referring to the family), and Joneses' is the plural possessive (belonging to the whole family). 

Is it Williams or Williams's?

It depends on what you mean: "Williams" is the plural name (the Williams family); "Williams's" or "Williams'" shows possession for one person (Mr. Williams's car); and "Williamses'" shows possession for the whole family (the Williamses' house). For a single person named Williams, most modern style guides accept either Williams's or Williams', though Williams's is often preferred for clarity in book publishing. 

Which is correct, Thomas or Thomas's?

Both Thomas's and Thomas' are generally considered correct for showing possession from the singular name "Thomas," but Thomas's is more common, aligns with most modern style guides (like adding 's for singular possession), and sounds natural when pronounced ("Thomases"), while Thomas' (just the apostrophe) is also acceptable, especially for stylistic reasons or if the extra 's' feels awkward to say. For a plural "Thomases" (multiple people named Thomas), the possessive is Thomases' (add an apostrophe after the 's'). 

How do I pluralize a name that ends in s?

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”).

What is the plural possessive of Johnson?

When referring to the house that belongs to the Johnsons, this plural family name gets a possessive apostrophe added to the s, so that it becomes Johnsons'.)

Is it 'womens' or 'women's'?

Women's. Because 'women' is already plural, and is possessive. Ergo, you just add the apostrophe 's'. It would only be womens' if womens without the apostrophe was the plural of woman.

How to possessive your name that ends with s?

For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. The first option is more common. When pronouncing a possessive name, we add the sound /z/ to the end of the name.

What is the meaning of S's?

"S's" (apostrophe + s) primarily forms possessive nouns (showing ownership like "the boy's book") or contractions for "is" or "has" (like "he's," meaning "he is"). The meaning of "s's" depends heavily on context; it's used for singular nouns to show possession (e.g., teacher's desk) and sometimes for names ending in 's' (Chris's), while plural nouns ending in 's' usually just add an apostrophe (students' desks).