Grammar Check: How to Pluralize Family Names

How should you pluralize names?

Let’s start with when:

Any time you refer to your family in writing! Some specific occasions you pluralize your surname are when writing your return address and when spelling your name on your mailbox or front door.
 
You might address other families by last name when they come to your home or when you send them a social invitation. How do you write the plural forms of their names?

What not to do:

Never use an apostrophe to create a plural!  Apostrophes create possessives; they never create plurals.

What to do:

Add -s

Examples:

The plural of Smith is Smiths.
The plural of Puzo is Puzos.

We had a lovely meal with the Smiths last night.

Exception:

Add -es  to names that end in s, x, z, ch, or sh

Examples:

The plural of Ruiz is Ruizes.
The plural of Bush is Bushes.

The Ruizes live next door to us.

Exception #2:

Do not add any letter to names that end in an “s” when the “s” has a “z” sound.

Examples:

The plural of Rogers is Rogers.
The plural of Miles is Miles.

The Rogers are joining us for the holidays. (We would not write “Rogerses.”)

Occasionally this rule fails. We might write Joneses, for example. 
We saw the Joneses last night.

Names are not altered when pluralized:

Some names behave differently than they would if they were common nouns.

Examples:

The plural of Terry is not Terries; it is Terrys.
The plural of Goldman is not Goldmen; it is Goldmans.

The Kennedys excel at spelling.