What Are Proper Nouns? Definition, Examples and Key Rules

We use proper nouns every day without even thinking about it—whether you’re telling someone about your latest trip to Paris, talking about your favourite book, Harry Potter, or mentioning The Crown on Netflix.

These names—of places, people, or specific things—are examples of proper nouns, and they play a crucial role in how we communicate clearly and effectively in English. 

Let’s dive deeper into what proper nouns are, their grammar rules and how to use them correctly. 

What Is a Proper Noun?

The definition of a proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, organisation, or thing.

 Unlike common nouns, which are general things like ‘city’ or ‘dog’, proper nouns name specific places, people or things.

Additionally, a proper noun can sometimes act as a pronoun in certain contexts, referring to a specific person or place without repeating yourself.

Proper nouns are always written with a capital letter, no matter where they appear in a sentence!

Examples of Proper Nouns

• Person’s name: Sarah, Bruce, Shakespeare

• Place: London, Paris, Mount Everest

• Brand or Organisation: Apple, Nike, United Nations

• Days of the week or months: Monday, December

• Titles of books, films, and music: Pride and Prejudice, The Beatles

Proper nouns help us to differentiate between generic and specific, making our writing more precise and clear.

The Difference Between Proper Nouns and Common Nouns 

It’s easy to mix up proper and common nouns, so remember this: the main difference is that common nouns are general, while proper nouns refer to something specific.

Common Noun vs. Proper Noun:

• Common noun: She lives in a city.

• Proper noun: She lives in London.

In the first sentence, the word ‘city’ is a common noun because it’s a general term for any city. But in the second sentence, the word, ‘London’ is a proper noun because it means a specific place.

When Should You Capitalise Proper Nouns?

Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter, no matter where they appear in a sentence. This rule helps distinguish them from common nouns.

• Correct: Elon Musk is launching a new rocket.

• Incorrect: elon musk is launching a new rocket.

Use capital letters even if the proper noun is not at the beginning of the sentence. 

Common Mistakes with Proper Nouns

Here are some of the most common errors writers make with proper nuns, especially when it comes to capitalisation: 

1. Not capitalising proper nouns:

• Incorrect: I’m reading the hunger games.

• Correct: I’m reading The Hunger Games.

2. Capitalising common nouns:

• Incorrect: The Doctor is running late.

• Correct: The doctor is running late.

3. Confusing common nouns and proper nouns:

• Incorrect: They visited the Golden Gate bridge.

• Correct: They visited the Golden Gate Bridge.

4. Family Relationships:

Family titles like mum, dad, and aunt can be tricky. You should capitalise the word when referring to a specific person by their title. But when you’re using them as general terms, don’t capitalise them.

• Correct: Mum is baking a cake. (Mum is being used as her name.)

• Incorrect: I love my Mum. (mum is being used generically here, so it should be lowercase.)

• Correct: I visited my aunt this weekend. (aunt is being used generically.)

• Incorrect: I visited Aunt Sarah this weekend. (In this case, Aunt is part of her name, so it should be capitalised.)

FAQs About Proper Nouns

1. Should the seasons be capitalised?

No, seasons like spring, summer, autumn, and winter are common nouns and should not be capitalised unless they are part of a title or proper noun (e.g., the Spring Festival).

2. Is ‘Doctor’ a proper noun?

The word ‘doctor’ is a common noun unless it is used as part of a title before someone’s name, such as Doctor Smith. In that case, ‘Doctor’ is part of the proper noun and should be capitalised.a

3. Are brand names proper nouns?

They are! Brand names like Nike, Apple, and Google are proper nouns because they refer to specific companies or products.

4. Are nationalities proper nouns?

Yes, nationalities like American, French and Chinese are proper nouns and should be capitalised.

5. Are directions capitalised?

Only if a direction refers to a specific place like ‘the South’ or ‘Western Hemisphere’. Otherwise, compass directions – north, south, west, east – are not capitalised.

6. What about addresses?

Addresses that include the name of a specific street, building, or place should be capitalised. For example: 18 Grosvenor Street, the Eiffel Tower, Los Angeles.

Now You Know How To Use Proper Nouns Properly!

Proper nouns aren’t just names; they’re powerful tools that help your readers understand exactly what—or who—you’re talking about.

So go ahead, capitalise where it counts, and give your writing the specificity it needs!