Jones’s or Jones’ or Joneses?

Grammar > Jones’s or Jones’ or Joneses – which is correct?
Published in March 2023
Edited by:  Mary S., high school English teacher

How do you write the possessive and plural forms of the surname Jones?

A confusing one, especially because the surname ends with the letter S.

We will explain this in detail but first let’s summarise it.

SINGULAR:
Jones

PLURAL OF JONES:
Joneses

SINGULAR POSSESSIVE (belonging to eg Mrs Jones):
Jones’s OR Jones’ (both considered correct, Jones’s preferred). So you could say Mrs Jones’s or Mrs Jones’.

PLURAL POSSESSIVE:
Joneses’

Find out more about why the spelling of the surname Jones can be so tricky by reading this article.

Jones is the singular

Jones is a very popular surname in English speaking regions of the world, especially in Wales and England.

It is in fact the second most common surname in England.

Like other names and nouns in English that end with the letter “s”, making plural and possessive forms of Jones is confusing!

You are not the first person that the a Jones has confused.

Let me explain.

The word Jones is a proper noun.

What is a proper noun?

Proper nouns are words that are used to name something, in this case, an individual’s surname. We write proper nouns capitalised. For example, John, Sam, Thomas, Smith, Jones, Peter, Charles etc.

How would you refer to multiple people with the surname Jones?

Joneses are the plural

To pluralise Jones, you just add -ES.

Like you would write more than one bass as basses or more than press as presses.

Similarly, if you wanted to refer to more than one Jones, you add -ES at the end of the word, and you would write Joneses.

Simple, I think you would agree.

Examples of the word Joneses used in a sentence:

• “The Joneses are regulars at the neighbourhood monthly meetings”
• “So many Joneses at this game, I will have to learn their first names quickly!”
• “The Joneses are moving into the house next to us.”
• “Keeping up with the Joneses.”
• We got a nice engagement card from the Joneses.”

Possessives (or instances when something belongs to family, Miss, Mrs or Mr Jones) is when it this does get a bit more complex.

Jones’s OR Jones’ both singular possessive

As an example, imagine we are talking about the house of Mr Jones.

How would you refer to this house? Would you write “Mr Jones’s house” or “Mr Jones’ house”?

The answer is you can use either correctly.

The reason for this is that different English style guides (or authorities on how to write in English) have different recommendations.

So as a result, both Jones’ and Jones’s are considered acceptable.

Please note that using Joneses is incorrect when referring the possessive. As we will see later, use Joneses’ for the plural possessive.

Let’s look at Jones’ and Jones’s individually now.

Jones’s

Jones’s is a correct way to write the possessive form of Jones.

It is the preferred way to write it by the majority of style guides including The Chicago Manual of Style and the Microsoft Writing Style Guide. These guides recommend adding an apostrophe and s (‘s) to all singular nouns to signify possession, irrespective of whether the word ends with an s or not. This reiterates a safe and simple way to write words like these.

It is also clearly the more popular and accepted form to use in British English.

See some examples of Jones’s used in a sentence:

• “This is Mr Jones’s new car.”
• “I just can’t wait for Mrs Jones’s kids to get here, they are so friendly!”
• “I am waiting for Miss Jones’s invite to her yearly Christmas work party.”
• “I just received Mr Jones’s new jacket, look how nice it is!”

Jones’

Is Jones’ also correct?

Yes it is.

Jones’ is an alternative correct way to write the possessive form of Jones.

The Associated Press Stylebook, from the USA, recommends just adding an apostrophe (‘) to signify possession for a noun.

This form, while still accurate, is used less often with time and there was talk that even The Associated Press is considering changing it.

See some examples of Jones’ used in a sentence:

• “Mr Jones’ yard is always so green and neat, I would like mine to be this way as well.”
• “Why are you trying to find Miss Jones’ bag?”
• “I think this may very well be Mr Jones’ suit jacket.”
• “Can you see Mrs Jones’ new car from here?”
• “Let’s all help you find Mrs Jones’ dog!”

So should I use Jones’s or Jones’?

Both are correct to use.

In my opinion as well as the opinion of many others, I suggest using Jones’s as I find it the easiest, most consistent and most widely accepted worldwide.

It is important to consider which form is used by your school, workplace or people around you for the task you are required to do.

And be consistent. Consistency is crucial, so once you pick which way you want to write the possessive of Jones, keep it this way throughout your writing.

Alternatively avoid it altogether, by writing something that “belongs to Miss Jones” or “owned by Miss Jones”.

Now to another source of confusion.

We know how to write the singular possessive form of Jones and that Joneses is the plural of Jones.

But how do you write the plural possessive or something that belongs to multiple Joneses?

Joneses’ is the plural possessive

Joneses’ is the plural possessive.

Use Joneses’ if you are referring to something that belongs to more than one Jones.

Just add an apostrophe.

For example:

“This is the Joneses’ household.” – this indicates that the household is owned by multiple Joneses.
“These cars belong to the Joneses’.”

To conclude

Now that I have written so much about Jones and Joneses, let’s summarise the key messages with some frequently asked questions.

What is the plural of Jones?

Joneses.

What is the singular possessive of Jones?

Jones’s and Jones’ are both acceptable. The reason is that different authorities give different advice meaning both are fine. I suggest using Jones’s.

What is the plural possessive of Joneses?

Joneses’. Just add an apostrophe.

Do you make errors when you write or spell in English?

Or do you have any tips to remember how to write the plurals or possessives of surnames like Jones?

Please drop your tips and comments in the section below or send us a message.

Also let me know if there is any other confusing English words you would like us to cover on Compare it Versus.

References

References and data used in the writing of this article

1. 1. Jones, Wikipedia, accessed in March 2023
   2. Proper Nouns, Wikipedia, retrieved March 2023
   3. Oxford English Dictionary, accessed in December 2022, link to Oxford page
   4. Most common surnames in England, Forebears, retrieved March 2023
   5. Associated Press Stylebook, The Associated Press, accessed March 2023
   6. The Chicago Manual Of Style Online, accessed February 2023
   7. Writing Style Guide, Microsoft, accessed March 2023
   8. How Often Should website, reference on how often things are or should be done, retrieved March 2023
   9. Google search engine for popularity of search terms, search completed in February 2023

Important: We make every effort to ensure the vocabulary and grammar articles on Compare it Versus are accurate. We pride ourselves that these articles are written by humans (with some literary or English teaching background – Mary, the author and editor of this post has plenty of both) rather than robots which just copy the internet like is commonplace on other sites you will come across.

Having said that, as humans, we know we get it wrong sometimes. So if you see an error in “Jones’s or Jones’ or Joneses?”, please let us know below in a comment below or by contacting us so we can correct it. No guarantee of accuracy is provided. Always do your own research.