Capitalize Family Titles Used as Names
Capitalization
Rulebase Summary
Capitalize titles for family members — Mom, Dad, Grandma, Uncle — when they are used in place of a person's name and no possessive pronoun (my, your, his, her, our, their, whose) precedes them. If a possessive pronoun comes before the title, keep it lowercase. If aunt, uncle, or cousin forms a permanent unit with a proper name (Aunt Helen, Uncle Bill), capitalize the family title regardless of context.
Examples
A. I called mom right after the accident.
A. I called Mom right after the accident.
Mom is used in place of a name with no possessive pronoun — capitalize it.
A. I told my Mom about the incident.
A. I told my mom about the incident.
A possessive pronoun (my) precedes the family title — keep it lowercase.
Transcript Notes
Capitalize a family designation (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Father) when it is being used in lieu of the name — i.e., when 'mother' could be replaced by 'Susan'. Do NOT capitalize when it is used as a description ('my mother', 'his dad'). A modifier in front (my, his, her) signals lowercase.
Capitalize as a title before the name without modifier (Aunt Margaret, Uncle Scott, Grandma Kathy). Beyond parents and grandparents, the rule gets murky — usually best to default to lowercase.
Capitalize family designations in religious contexts (Father, Sister Marie, the Brothers).
Style Guide References (5)
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP
BGGP
BGGP