HBO Max this week aired (is it still called airing if it’s streaming?) the Fresh Prince of Bel Air reunion.
So there I was, chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool (I can’t even type that with a straight face) on Twitter, and something on the promo posts caught my eye:
”The Banks are back together.”
Y’all, the family is named Banks. Thus the plural is Bankses. It’s one of my (many) grammatical pet peeves.
But this is actually good timing because as we approach the holiday season, a refresher course on how to pluralize surnames seems to be needed every year. So let’s say you’re sending season’s greetings to the Fresh Prince’s Bel Air family. They’re pretty swanky folks. You want to get it right. This is the story all about how you can go wrong.
1) The Banks
As previously mentioned, the family name is Banks, with an s, not Bank. So simply keeping it the same doesn’t include the collective. It’s not like sheep or deer or moose.
2) The Banks’ (or The Banks’s)
Apostrophes do not make words (or names) plural. Apostrophes do not make words (or names) plural. Write this out 100 times like you’re Bart Simpson at the chalkboard. The only exception is for single letters, e.g. “She had three B’s and two C’s on her report card” or “mind your p’s and q’s.”
3) The Bankss
No. Just no.
So, what is correct? Let’s circle back to the top. It’s Bankses. The plural of a name that ends in s is -es. The Bankses. The Joneses. The same applies to names ending in x, z, sh or ch (unless it’s a k sound, e.g. The Bachs). All others end in s. The Simpsons. Never an apostrophe. Never, ever an apostrophe. Yes, even if it ends in a vowel.
And don’t even think of trying to “ie” a name that ends in y. Case in point:
I’m Holly.
The family of Buddy, late, great singer of “That’ll Be the Day” and “Rave On” are The Hollys.
The British rock group that sings “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” is The Hollies.
Here’s a helpful chart to follow:
And guys, if it’s all too complicated to remember, or if Bankses, Joneses, Simmonses, etc. feels kind of icky to you, there’s a simple, elegant solution:
The Banks Family.
(You know Geoffrey would never let them send out cards with spelling errors.)