Pluralising surnames

[emsr2d2]

Learners (and a few native speakers!) might find this useful:

 

[jutfrank]

As with any other kind of word, surely it depends on pronunciation. It's the final sound that counts, not the spelling.

For example, my friend's name is Koch. Following the rule given here, his family would be the Koches.

 

[Tdol]

They are very clear on the use of apostrophes. ;-)

 

[emsr2d2]

As with any other kind of word, surely it depends on pronunciation. It's the final sound that counts, not the spelling.

For example, my friend's name is Koch. Following the rule given here, his family would be the Koches.

True. I guess they were mainly focusing on English surnames. Koch is German. There will always be exceptions but it works as a good general rule for me.

 

[jazzz8]

Very helpful, but as mentioned in the threat depending on the origin of the surname it might vary... So I think it is kind of difficult to say in general English surnames, because every countrie has various surnames from different countries like America for example has got a lot of surnames from Germany, Spain, etc. But for an overall guide to get a feeling for it, it is really helpful.

 

[jutfrank]

I guess they were mainly focusing on English surnames.

I struggle with the very concept of 'English surname'. A significant number of surnames common in England would not be considered English by origin.

The point here is that there are no special rules for pluralising surnames. You should simply follow the normal phonological rules of pronunciation.