Do you capitalize family member names like grandma, mom, dad, cousin, etc.? The words can be capitalized depending on how they are used in a sentence or title. When used generically in a sentence they should be lowercase such as in the following sentence: “my grandparents said to visit them,” then the word grandpa is lowercase because it is a generic noun. The same goes for cousin: “my cousin came to visit.”
Correct: My grandparents are the best.
Correct: My cousins are the best.
Correct: My cousin came to visit me.
Correct: My mom is the best.
However, if you are addressing your family members directly, such as when asking a question, then you should capitalize the word.
Correct: Can I go to the movies, Grandparents?
Correct: Want to go to the movies, Cousin?
Correct: Can I go to the movies, Mom?
The same holds true for any other family member names.
Capitalizing Other Family Members:
For more title capitalization questions, use our free title capitalization tool here.
