For the surname "Gonzalez," the plural is the Gonzalezes, and the possessive for a single person is Gonzalez's, while the possessive for the whole family is the Gonzalezes', following standard English rules for names ending in 'z'. You can also use "the Gonzalez" to refer to the family (e.g., the Gonzalez house), but for showing possession of something owned by one person, it's "Gonzalez's".
The possessive in words and names ending in "s" or "z" normally takes an apostrophe followed by an "s" (Gonzalez's, James's), but be guided by pronunciation and use the plural apostrophe wherever it helps: Mephistopheles' rather than Mephistopheles's.
To form the possessive, add apostrophe + s to the noun. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. The first option is more common.
Plural Gonzálezes; possessive González's, Gonzálezes'
Apostrophes with Words Ending in S
Rule 2 of Apostrophes from The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation says: Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession. Examples: one class's opinion; one girl's opinion; Ms. Jones's opinion; Mr. Cross's opinion.
The apostrophe after a last name shows possession. Its use depends on the last letter of the last name. If the last name ends in a letter other than s, add an apostrophe, followed by the letter s. If the last name ends in s, either add just an apostrophe, or add an apostrophe followed by the letter s.
Both Lucas's and Lucas' are generally considered correct for the possessive form of the name Lucas, but style guides differ; Lucas's (adding 's) is often preferred for clarity and by some U.S. guides (like MLA), while Lucas' (just an apostrophe) is also common, especially in British English or for classical names, with both being acceptable for singular names ending in 's'.
Since there is more than one Lopez, a plural is needed. Because Lopez (singular) ends with z, we follow the rule of adding es to make it plural. Therefore, the invitation is from the Lopezes.
It's worth noting that words which already end with an “s” can be modified with either just an apostrophe or an “-'s”: Angus' grammar was always perfect. Angus's grammar was always perfect. Both of the above are acceptable; just remember to aim for consistency throughout your work.
When a common noun is plural and ends in s, add only an apostrophe. When proper names end in s (whether singular or plural), add only an apostrophe. Use Lewis University's, the University's or Lewis' when showing possession in a sentence. Never use Lewis's.
But many irregular plural nouns like men, women and children, don't end in S. So they have a special rule: To form the possessive, you treat these plurals as if they were singular, adding an apostrophe plus an S: women's shoes, men's department, children's toys.
To show possession using an apostrophe, add 's for individuals (“Smith's car”) and just the apostrophe after the s for plurals (“the Smiths' car,” “the Martinezes' dog”). By convention, names from classical mythology and the Bible ending in s show possession with the apostrophe only (“Jesus' teachings”).
To form the possessive of a proper noun ending in an s or z sound, some people use apostrophe + s, as in Perez's and Burns's, and others prefer an apostrophe alone, as in Perez' and Burns'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").
The possessive would be either Davis' (singular) or Davises' (plural), e.g., Tim Davis' car or the Davises' holiday plans.
Both Chris's (apostrophe + s) and Chris' (apostrophe only) are acceptable for the singular possessive of "Chris," depending on the style guide, but Chris's is often preferred for clarity and follows traditional rules, while Chris' is used by some (like AP Style) to avoid the double 's' sound. For consistency, choose one style and stick with it, as both show possession for a single person named Chris.
Difficult family names
Remember the basic rule: don't try to make a plural with an apostrophe. Everyone is trying to keep up with the Joneses (add –es to form the plural). The form Jones's (with an apostrophe) refers to something that one of the Jones family members owns.
For decades, use '70s (with an apostrophe before the number for the missing "19") for contractions like "the '70s," and use 1970s (no apostrophe) for the full form or as an adjective (e.g., "1970s music"), while 70s (no apostrophe) is a common plural, but avoid 70's as it incorrectly suggests possession or pluralizes the number itself, not the decade.
Both Lucas's and Lucas' are generally considered correct for the possessive form of the name Lucas, but style guides differ; Lucas's (adding 's) is often preferred for clarity and by some U.S. guides (like MLA), while Lucas' (just an apostrophe) is also common, especially in British English or for classical names, with both being acceptable for singular names ending in 's'.
It's not incorrect to use another S after the apostrophe on singular proper nouns ending in S, so both “Cass' Apothecary” and “Cass's Apothecary” are correct (and in fact the latter is what's recommended by most style guides).
To form the possessive, add apostrophe + s to the noun. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. The first option is more common.
Gender: Lucas is a Latin, masculine-given name (from the verb "lucere"). Feminine variations such as Lucille, Luciana, and Lucia are common. Luca and Luka are gender-neutral names.