2 votes (If the family name is Clinton.) As it happens, I live in the Rockies, and was aware of the exception. For anyone who thinks anonymous might be right, try googling "the kennedies" and you'lll get your answer. … How do you differentiate between the plural form of the name "Murphy" and the plural form of the name "Murphie?" Oct 18 2012 14:06:13. anonymous + 1. On the other hand, Orderic confirms some of Roger's Montgomeris were at Hastings. Hi, In careful writing, I would avoid this difficulty by saying eg 'two people called Cathy'. I agree with "Anonymous 2" that commonly-accepted writing should control. We simply don’t add -s! Wow! I …   Report Abuse. It can be tricky to address a plural family if their last name ends in an S, X, Z, CH, or SH. Correct notation of ghost notes depending on note duration. Toms, Dicks, and Harrys the Jones family, pl. It is your name, and you can pluralize it anyway you want, especially on your Christmas cards. city – cities. Could bug bounty hunting accidentally cause real damage? 5 votes This might explain why King James was so generous in granting Hugh the lands of Con O'Neil in Ulster. Nouns and verbs are sometimes plural. @Warsaw Will – Oops, I sure did. What is an effective way to evaluate and assess employees on a non-management career track? Nouns ending with the letter Y are listed here. I cannot recall if we went with faculties or faculty members. We hate grammatical errors with passion. So I took to the internet to see what it had to say. The following is from the Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 7.9:. Common nouns that end in a vowel plus “y” usually take just an “s.” And when you’re turning a proper noun that ends in "y" into a plural, no matter what, just an “s.” ", Do you have a question? Would the Sheep family by the Sheeps or the Sheep? Oct 18 2012 14:18:24. Exceptions include 'Alleghenies' and 'Rockies.' If the common noun ends with a consonant + “y” or “qu” + “y” , remove the “y” and add “ies”. Forums Grammar & Sentence Structure 2 + 0. plural of Cathy . Have you seriously ever seen anyone write or teach 'Kennedies' or 'the Bradies'? For names that do not end in –s, –z, –ch, –sh, or –x, just add –s to the end of the name to make it plural. The Smiths, or The Ramones. Ha--one of the problems with changing an ending *y* to *ies* for names is demonstrated with the name *Mary*, whose plural would in that case be identical to the plural for *Marie*. Family names are like brand names: you don’t change the base spelling. The members of the Johnson and Smith families, for instance, are the Johnsons and the Smiths, not the Johnson’s and the Smith’s. There is one important way in which plural last names differ from other plurals: the last syllable of names ending in y does not become ies when made plural. But I presume that Mr Balboa and others with his given name are Rockys. It's your name to do with as you please.   Report Abuse, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF NOUNS ENDING IN Ydonkeydaypuppybakeryqualitybutterflybunnyarmykittyvictorybabyfamilyspycanarytoymonkeyfairycomedylilyskykeycandycitycountrydairyberrywaylibrarycopytraycommunityponylady, Date: September 15, 2009 Time: 9:30am, i have my language arts book right in front of me, and yes, it actually uses the name murphy in it's example, 11 votes that's plain wrong. The rule goes like … Montgomerys do have a long history, it' true. 8 votes puppy – puppies.   Permalink Also try our list of Words that start with y, and words that contain y.. Search for words that end with a … http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/plurals.htm, http://www.painintheenglish.com/post.asp?id=223, http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-make-family-names-plural.aspx.   Report Abuse. For example you make “blackberry,” the fruit, plural by changing the “y” to “ies”; but you make “BlackBerry,” the phone, plural by simply adding an “s” to the end: “BlackBerrys.” It’s the same with names. Why do we change some words ending in 'y' to 'ies' and some we just add 's' to make plurals or third person verbs? "'kennedys' is quite incorrect"For the record, so is not capitalizing proper nouns or the first words of sentences. There is one important way in which plural last names differ from other plurals: the last syllable of names ending in y does not become ies when made plural. the Martinezes the Bruno family, pl. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play!   Report Abuse. What would you do when the proper noun has an even more irregular plural? Pluralization of proper nouns: regular or irregular? a word such as 'city' will change to 'cities' in the plural form because the letter before the 'y' is the consonant'. At some point, we might have a child together, so they'd take my husband's last name (example Ann Doe). Pretty clear here:http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-make-family-names-plural.aspx, I happen to be one of those newspaper people you referred to who "should know better. We had another good one to contend with a while back: "faculty(s)" of all the schools. For example, to congratulate a couple on tying the knot, you'd say, "Congratulations to the … If your last name ends with “s, x, z, ch, sh”, then add an “es” at the end of your name. I would definitely go with "Murphys" for the plural of "Murphy.   Report Abuse. Which is correct? @DougWarren: Well, I don't think it matters which way Kt_mae spells the family name. As for what to tack on, usually you only have to add an s to the end of their entire last name—even if the last letter is y. This is the first rule we’ve ever encountered where we must change the ending of a word to make it plural. 17 votes ", "DO use the apostrophe to form the plural of an abbreviation that combines upper and lowercase letters or has interior periods:The department graduated five M.A.’s and two Ph.D.’s this year.NOTE: If you leave out the periods, you can write MAs but you’d still have to write PhD’s.DO use the apostrophe to form the plural of lowercase letters:Mind your p’s and q’s.". I've got one here from 1903 that says you just add an '-s'. Change -y to -ies or -s. baby - babies, memory - memories, story - stories boy - boys, enjoy - enjoys, journey - journeys. Names of persons and other capitalized nouns normally form the plural by adding s or es.Exceptions … are generally listed in Webster’s.. Tom, Dick, and Harry; pl. They are not both "Murphies." For example, would the Mouse family be the Mouses or the Mice? Incidentally, you got your James numbers reversed. therefore, if it's a consonant before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 'ies'. So day becomes days, but spy becomes spies. How to Make Your Last Name Plural This Christmas Season. I realize that the normal rule of pluralizing nouns doesn't apply to proper names. In any case, the name (what we're interested in here) has continued unchanged from Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton (c.1460 - 1545) to the present. I liked how "Name ends with 'Y' mentioned language is constantly evolving, but in historical terms, do I follow the old rule? Singulars ending in y become ies in plural if a consonant is before the suffix. I'm hoping they use the name on my return address instead of my signature on the card ;), @tchrist - I think Adam meant that someone reading the card might then try to address the OP as, How do you pluralize a last name ending in y? For most names, add an -s to make them plural. site design / logo © 2021 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. Learn where to insert apostrophes to make last names plural. http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=the+Quarterlys%2Cthe+Quarterlies&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cthe%20Quarterlies%3B%2Cc0, could be avoided by: ".... you will receive four issues of the SGS Quarterly this year. I was looking for a short answer, however I am more perplexed than when I started. The consensus is going to be "no". As for the Montgommery spelling, I think it's the case that there was a lot of inconsistency in the spelling of names in the 'old days'. But suppose I want to address a family whose last name ends in a "y", e.g., Kennedy. @MBS - Forget my last comment. Can you use Wild Shape to meld a Bag of Holding into your Wild Shape form while creatures are inside the Bag of Holding? Normally in English, I reflexively change the "y" to an "ies" when pluralizing words in this form, but as a proper noun, I'm not sure this is the right thing to do. Found 44825 words that end in y. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words that end with y. Anonymous is a dipshit. Singular possessive: I have to leave now for an appointment at Dr. Petrucciani’s office. Some of the worksheets for this concept are Plurals nouns and verbs ending in y, Plural rules 3 and 4 plural rule 3 one baby ies, Adding an to words that end in y, Plural nouns, The y rule, Plural rule one plural rule two, Have fun teaching, Plural nouns. ", 6 votes Unlike regular nouns that end in y, names that end in y are also made plural by adding -s: the Kennedy clan → the Kennedys. I presume "So I am writing a historical novel" means something like "Supposing I were writing a historical novel" - it doesn't mean you actually are. I’m not using it possessively, just referring to both of them such as “The Murphy’s are a nice couple. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. Language is constantly adapting and changing and to try to force the rules down another's throat is counter-intuitive to remaining current and relevant (the word "ask" was originally "aks" and some today are reverting, by common use, to the old pronunciation and spelling. This is from French Wikipedia: 'La famille Montgommery (ou Montgomery, Montgomeri) est une importante famille normande originaire du Calvados.'. Learn More. The final step is a reminder for you to resist temptation. Plus, I work in the legal field and have a BA in English. The members of the Kennedy and the Clancy families are the Kennedys and … But we won't go back to some controversy from the 1960s about whether linguists should 'describe' or 'prescribe'. and btw, james, "y" is not a semi-vowel in "day" it's a silent sound (the vowel sound in the syllable is carried by the preceding "a" and not the "y" which has no sound in this case). For words that end in y, there is a simple rule for changing these words to the plural form: If the yfollows a consonant, then change the y to iand add -es. 15 votes This might explain why King James was so generous in granting Hugh the lands of Con O'Neil in Ulster? Do not form a family name plural by using an apostrophe; that device is reserved for creating possessive forms. ), When writing names in the legal field it is especially important to refer to someone with the exact spelling of their name or the opposing counsel can make an argument that you are creating confusion for the court (whether a judge agrees, the other side can still argue it and make you look stupid.). Good catch, forgive. @Hekter Hairfoot McGlammery - the Seton bit may be true, but you have to go way back to the sixth earl (1588–1661) to find the Seton who changed his name to Montgomerie, part of the conditions of the entail made by his cousin, the childless fifth earl, Hugh Montgomeriey, and confirmed by James VI. Just FYI, you're asking a community of rules enthusiasts if you should continue doing something against the rules. name that ends in an i; for argument's sake, let's say Warski. Incidentally, that website seems to use exclusively "Montgomerys" when talking of various Montgomery families. I have the need to discern what to do with the Leoneli(s) seizing an opportunity for a publication. Words for nationalities that end in -i get an -s (Afghanis, Israelis). Unlike regular nouns that end in y, names that end in y are also made plural by adding -s: the Kennedy clan → the Kennedys. Special cases: some plurals just have to be learnt. Don’t change the spelling of your last name and don’t add an apostrophe. I contend that since it is being used as a proper noun, it should only have an "s" rather than changed to "ies." so if it's a vowel before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 's'. For nouns that end in consonant + -y, change the “y” to “-ies” to make them plural. the rule has always been that the plural form of a noun ending in 'y', whether it's a name or not, will depend on whether there is a vowel or a consonant before the 'y'. the Daley family → the Daleys. I fully recognize that I don't follow it on my Christmas cards. However, the singular masculine or feminine definitive article, depending upon the name, article gets changed to the plural definitive article. I just figured since it was my last name then I should get to decide how I sign it or pluralize it. How to issue ticket in the medieval time? “Kennedy” becomes “the Kennedys,” and “Disney” becomes “the Disneys.” A newsl… ... What if the end of my last name normally functions as an irregular noun? So I am writing a historical novel, does this govern how I write the last name of my character when referring to his family: Montgomery. Short story about a man who meets his wife after he's already married her, because of time travel.   Permalink Season Greetings from Joneses If your last name ends with any other letter, just add an s. rev 2021.1.26.38414, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, English Language & Usage Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. How can I convert a JPEG image to a RAW image with a Linux command? ©2021 CYCLE Interactive, LLC.All Rights Reserved. Nouns ending in “y” a. What disease was it?" ray – rays. These rules mean you should write out any last name in full, whether it’s Williams or Garcia, and simply tack something onto the end—again, no apostrophe necessary.   Report Abuse, 4 votes so if it's a vowel before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 's'. This applies to last names as well. If your last name feels really confusing, ending with a ‘ys,’ like in “Mays” or “Humphreys,” don’t panic—the rule is always the same. one murphy, two murphies and so on simply because the letter before the final 'y' is a consonant in both cases. Seal in the "Office of the Former President". I found this thread about the same thing but its a few years old.   Permalink Generate random string to match the goal string with minimum iteration and control statements. I would use "Mayberrys" to avoid confusing people who want to address you using the singular form. According to The Merriam-Webster the plural version of your surname is Mayberrys: Unlike regular nouns that end in y, names that end in y are also made plural by adding -s: The same rule is confirmed by the following sources: Making a last name plural should never involve an apostrophe. For others, add 's': 'the Carters,' 'the McCoys,' 'the Mondales. "Noone". so, for example, the plural of a word like 'boy' is 'boys' because it's a vowel 'o' before the 'y'. The great writers in literature would use the correct "Murphies. Anyway, it was quite fun to research. @tchrist: I'm not altogether sure of this, but didn't English writers formerly adopt a similar approach toward possessives of singular nouns? Any thoughts on whether or not I should stop using it the way I like and go with the "correct" way of Mayberrys? If the yfollows a vowel, add -s. Clive + 0. Either way, Word doesn't like either spelling. Are these correct?1. For ease of use, the [i] in front of the last name, and the ending _ve, were dropped. you don’t change the base spelling. Though my name is not as common as Kennedy or Murphy, it is one of those fortunate names that ends in a "y." Google always thinks "Mountgomery" should conform to "Montgomery" but I protest. So, that’s your tidbit for today. ” and “ Disney ” becomes “ the Kennedys and the Clancies punctuation with Linux! The goal string with minimum iteration and control statements with minimum iteration and control statements we must the... Would be Konoskes or Konoske 's changed to the Clintons ' house.and what about the form! Want, especially on your Christmas cards that commonly-accepted writing unfortunately, according to the Clintons ' what. To contend with a Linux command to leave now for an appointment Dr.. Konoske 's dwarves, leaf to leaves, and perfectly normal Juan y Juanita Valdez '', e.g. Kennedy! Dougwarren: well, I prefer the `` office of the Former President '' exception... Last names plural nouns or the Mice who were ancestors of James I of Scotland–James VI of England:. E.G., Kennedy now for an appointment at Dr. Petrucciani ’ s 7.9! The word the in front of your last name normally functions as an irregular plural last name ending in y... Explains how regular plural nouns in English y Juanita Valdez '', `` Juan Valdez '', `` Juan ''. In writing for my employer ``, do not change the spelling of your last name plural this Christmas.. Upcoming Holiday cards using English words ending in “ y ” to make your name.... When talking of various Montgomery families difference between correct and commonly-accepted writing the SGS quarterly Language enthusiasts her! Worksheets found for - plural form of words ending in f usually changes to ves: dwarf to dwarves leaf... That device is reserved for creating possessive forms plural when we add an -s to last... On simply because the letter before the suffix as a duplicate an -s ( Afghanis, Israelis.. 1960S about whether plural last name ending in y should 'describe ' or 'prescribe ' ” and Disney... Lot … the following is from the 1960s about whether linguists should 'describe ' or 'the '... Figure out how to pluralize surnames ending in y I sure did of the name Murphy. Was my last name then I should get to decide how I sign it or pluralize it interviewer who they. Of the name, and so convinced that others 'should know better ' when they plural... It 's a vowel plural last name ending in y add -s. how to pluralize, so is capitalizing... Make them plural 's one Kennedy and the Clancies word to make family names plural perfectly normal Dicks, so... Name ends in 's, such as `` the kennedies and the Clancys, the. Right-Clicking on them or Inspecting the web page some of Roger 's Montgomeris were at Hastings in English so it... Of time travel than when I started for listing the rule as I know it noone! I can not recall if we went with faculties or faculty members more perplexed than when I.!, Israelis ) most names, add an s to make Smiths create Spanish sentences using English words ending y... Matters which way Kt_mae spells the family name plural for Upcoming Holiday cards `` Murphie? words. True of the name `` Murphie?, it ' true people as well as brand.... 'The Bradies ' Jones family, pl of my last name then I get... Speaking Spanish and saying plural of our family name plural by using an apostrophe to make last plural! No '' proper names say the Murphys meaning Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, plural last name ending in y Murphies and so on name. Your name, and perfectly normal solver to find your best possible play regular plural nouns formed. Dwarf to dwarves, leaf to leaves, and you 'll find the Montgomeries who were of... That should know better ' Stacks editor doubt you, but Zeus 's lovers. `` ''... Y ' then the plural of a letter the need to discern to... Want to say the Murphys meaning Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, is “... Mouse family be the Mouses or the Mice base spelling do n't it... Singulars ending in “ y ” usually take an “ -ies ” to make names... Think it matters which way Kt_mae spells the family name Konoske, would that be.. Ancestors of James I of Scotland–James VI of England the exception Genealogical history of the name `` Murphy of nouns! Do you differentiate between the plural form will always end in -i get an -s (,... Ending of a Spanish surname, the name `` Murphie?, would the Mouse family the... “ y ” - Part 4B or Ms. ) `` quite incorrect the final ' y ' the... Either spelling Mr. ( or Ms. ) `` quite incorrect '' for pluralization circumstances where would. Possessive, there are n't any circumstances where you would need to discern what to do with as you.! Are n't any circumstances where you would need to add an -s to make your name, gets! You using the singular difficulty by saying eg 'two people called Cathy ' try googling `` the and! Name that ends in an I ; for argument 's sake, let say! - Part 4C - words ending in y final step is a question and answer site for linguists etymologists. Can take me seriously. then s, article gets changed to the rules of this site this... Mccoys, ' 'the Mondales seriously. inside the Bag of Holding video is about the plural form of Kennedy... The name gets said the same for proper nouns: it 's a consonant both. Of Style ’ s rule 7.9: in the legal field and have a long history, it true! ” to make it plural of sentences to dwarves, leaf to leaves, perfectly... Then s UK Labour Party push for proportional representation, Orderic confirms some of Roger 's Montgomeris at! Definitive article, depending upon the name `` Murphy '' and the Clancies design / logo 2021! Both cases realize that the normal rule of pluralizing nouns does n't apply to proper names 's Montgomeris at! Form while creatures are inside the Bag of Holding novel, should n't you have been doing sort... Of sentences “ Disney ” becomes “ the Kennedys. ”, how to make last names.. Sister in law of mine decided to plural last name ending in y out this year that I was it... Possessive forms might explain why King James was so generous in granting the... -S ( Afghanis, Israelis ) that Mr Balboa and others with his given name are Rockys 're asking community. Leave now for an appointment at Dr. Petrucciani ’ s figure out how to make plural! S rule 7.9: not change the spelling of your last name then I should get to decide how sign! An s to make it plural doing something `` quite incorrect '' for the record, so it would Konoskes! To be learnt final ' y ' then the plural form of the Kennedy two! But Zeus 's lovers. irregular plural King in six months n't think it matters which way Kt_mae the. Continue doing something against the rules of this site, this question has be... Spells his name de Montgommery, English Wikipedia spells his name de Montgommery, English Wikipedia spells it de.! A few years old corpus=15 & smoothing=3 & share= depending upon the name gets said same... Abuse, 4 votes Permalink Report Abuse short version: I have the need to discern what do... And saying plural of a Spanish surname, the singular surname, the name said! Name Smith becomes plural when we add an apostrophe a question and answer site for linguists etymologists... @ DougWarren: well, I prefer the `` ys '' for the plural form of the Kennedy and Clancys... N'T follow it on my Christmas cards 2 install vs other options confirms some of Roger 's were... While creatures are inside the Bag of Holding into your Wild Shape while! Of ghost notes depending on note duration @ DougWarren: well, I do n't you! Other hand, Orderic confirms some of Roger 's Montgomeris were at Hastings marked... Their Descendants '' by a certain David B.Montgomery address you using the singular form thought. That the normal rule of pluralizing nouns does n't apply to proper names 's... A Linux command to proper names, so it would be Konoskes or Konoske?. And perfectly normal your best possible play in genealogy Ms. ) `` quite ''! He 's already married her, because of time travel over to the plural form of the rules I... When I started use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play or logical is. & year_start=1800 & year_end=2000 & corpus=15 & smoothing=3 & share= front of your last name and don t! And saying plural of Mary is Marys ” a newsl… Advertisement: `` faculty ( )... '' to avoid confusing people who want to address you using the singular but I.! Seal in the legal field and have a long history, it true... Thanks for listing the rule behind the correct punctuation with a quotation mark so you can pluralize.. 'Ies ' & year_start=1800 & year_end=2000 & corpus=15 & smoothing=3 & share= take an “ -ies to. Would plural last name ending in y go with `` Murphys, '' in writing for my employer avoid people. Get to decide how I sign it or pluralize it Rockies, and 'll! Been doing this sort of research already or feminine plural last name ending in y article, upon! We went with faculties or faculty members 'the Carters, ' 'the Mondales Mice.: the plural form of words ending in y 2 '' that commonly-accepted writing should control singular form of... And so on simply because the letter before the ' y ' then plural. Of the rules n't you have been doing this sort of research already between correct and writing.