Capitalization: Family relationships

On this page

• When to capitalize terms for family relationships
  • When the term is part of a name
  • When the term is used by itself as a name
• When not to capitalize terms for family relationships
  • When the term comes after a name
  • When the term is modified
• Additional information

When to capitalize terms for family relationships

In the two cases outlined below, capitalize terms for family relationships when they have no modifiers before them.

When the term is part of a name

Capitalize an unmodified term for a family relationship when it is followed by a first or last name and thus forms part of a family member’s name:

• Did you invite Aunt Samina?
• The book that Uncle Marek sent me is really interesting.
• We haven’t seen Cousin Bertha in years.
• You inherited your keen eyes from Grandfather Stein.

When the term is used by itself as a name

Capitalize an unmodified term for a family relationship when you use it by itself as a name.

Speaking to a family member

• Would you like a cup of tea, Grandma?
• Write to me, Son, and tell me how you are.
• Hey, Sis, that’s my book!

Speaking about a family member

• We met Mom at the theatre.
• Did you ask Father for permission to use the car?
• Remind Grandpa about his appointment.

When not to capitalize terms for family relationships

Don’t capitalize a term for a family relationship in the two cases outlined below.

When the term comes after a name

Ordinarily, when a term for a family relationship comes after a name, the term doesn’t take a capital:

• The Doucette sisters helped out at the luncheon.
• The Mwangi brothers are twins.

Exception: Do capitalize the term if it is part of a proper noun, as in the example below.

• The Mercey Brothers, a Canadian country music group, won multiple Juno Awards in the 1970s. [“The Mercey Brothers” was the official name of the group.]

When the term is modified

Don’t capitalize a term for a family relationship when it has a modifier before it. In this case, the modifier will be an adjective or a word (or word group) that functions as an adjective.

For example, the modifier is often a possessive adjective (my, your, our, etc.) or a possessive noun (Rita’s, boys’, children’s, etc.):

• Your mother called while you were out.
• Our aunt Sarah is an engineer.
• Jorge’s grandfather served in the army.
• The girls’ father teaches history at the local high school.

The modifier may also be a definite article (the) or an indefinite article (a, an):

• The main caregiver for aging parents is usually the daughter living closest to them.
• Uncle Abdullah was so close to us in age that he seemed more like a cousin.

Or the modifier may be another type of adjective:

• That mother was awarded a medal for bravery for rescuing her children from a burning house. [demonstrative adjective]
• Which great-aunt attended the family reunion? [interrogative adjective]
• Under the feudal system, first-born sons inherited their father’s title and estate. [descriptive adjective]

Additional information

• The section “Proper nouns vs. common nouns” in the article "Noun"
• Adjective (HyperGrammar 2)