Embarrassed to ask but can anyone explain the rule about adding an 's' after a name ending in an 's'?

[dottypencilcase]

Exactly that- born and raised in this country but I've never quite understood the rule of how to add an 's' (denoting possession) when it comes to a name that also ends in an 's'.

So is it Harris's or Harris' or James' or James's? Please be gentle with me- I'm already feeling a bit thick!

I said it wasn't wrong. Anna Rogers' house is also not wrong.
Being pedantic, how do you know what most people would say?

Adding an extra S is abhorrent

Yes, same.

Personally, I was taught and use James'.

Was following with interest but think I'm more confused now! 🤣

Yes, either way is correct. I prefer not to use the second 's'. It just looks somehow messy to me!

When I see the personalised plaques, I unreasonably frown internally when I see something like
'Welcome To The Barnes's'
I think,
'Welcome To The Barnes'
reads much better to me. I read it with a softer second 's' if that makes sense.
That's the main reason I never get anything with my surname on, I've never been sure which is the correct way 🤣 and I won't appreciate my grammar being corrected on here, spelling is my forté! 🤣

Both are correct but be consistent within a document. Choose which you prefer and do the same every time.

No it's not. Both ways are grammatically correct.

I was taught that either is fine, and indeed there a street in Nottingham which has "St James's Street" on the sign at one end, and "St James' Street" at the other

I won't appreciate my grammar being corrected on here, spelling is my forté!

Spelling and grammar are different things. Also, forté doesn't have an accent.

Am I wrong? Is it only the English?
What about Hodges? Surely you must admit Hodges’s would be wrong?

I do this too. So James's feels quite straightforward but it always feels a bit wrong for Louis. I've written something belonging to Louis as Louis' and I don't like it, but Louis's feels worse!

Yes @newtowelsplease. Louis is a nightmare. There was a whole thread on it a while ago. I would do what you did but neither feels really satisfactory.

I remember learning it as adding the extra s except when it's Classical names - so Jesus' words, Julius' toga, that sort of thing. I go with the extra s mostly out of habit.

The way I was taught: use rhe S if it's singular, don't if it's plural.

James's trousers
The Simpsons' house.

Yes, I'd forgotten the bit about plurals not taking the extra s.

I learnt to use just the apostrophe when writing (quite a long time ago in primary school) but to always say James’s in speech

No doubt things have moved on since then

@newtowelsplease I did look In ‘Fowler’s English Usage’ recently and it says always add an ‘s’ to French words ending in a silent ‘s’ so it’s Louis’s and Rabelais’s according to that. I’m not sure if there is any update in a more recent edition.