# Best usage for a house/family sign: apostrophe or no?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 17, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889 "2008-01-17T17:32:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/41 "2008-01-18T21:56:57Z")

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[QUOTE=robby]  
What if your last name ends in an “s”, like “Baggins”?

“The Bagginses”? :rolleyes:

(Yes, this is a serious question.)  
[/QUOTE]

Yes, as I mentioned above, " The Joneses’ " would be correct.

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**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/42 "2008-01-19T04:10:04Z")

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The correct sign would say:

Bag End.

Tris

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**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/43 "2008-01-19T04:40:04Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Quote:  
> Originally Posted by robby  
> What if your last name ends in an “s”, like “Baggins”?
> 
> “The Bagginses”?
> 
> (Yes, this is a serious question.)

[QUOTE=gigi]  
Yes, as I mentioned above, " The Joneses’ " would be correct.  
[/QUOTE]  
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t this be Baggins’ and Jones’?

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**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/44 "2008-01-19T06:12:04Z")

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[QUOTE=Scarlett67]  
Yes, Bagginses it is (for the plural), so put away that rolleyes. Possessive plural would be “the Bagginses’ house.”  
[/QUOTE]

OK, Gollum, if my last name ended in “s” there’s no way I’d be putting that on a mailbox.

(Actually, my last name does end in “s”. For a housewarming gift, we once got something with the equivalent of _The Baggins’_. At lease it wasn’t the equivalent of _The Baggin’s_.)

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/45 "2008-01-19T18:18:34Z")

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[QUOTE=robby]  
What if your last name ends in an “s”, like “Baggins”?  
[/QUOTE]  
For heaven’s sake, **not** “The Baggin’s”!

That’s the kind of thing that makes right-thinking people weep for hours.

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/46 "2008-01-19T21:19:59Z")

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[QUOTE=robby]  
OK, Gollum, if my last name ended in “s” there’s no way I’d be putting that on a mailbox.  
[/QUOTE]

You don’t have to. Just put “Baggins.”

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