The standard abbreviation for governor is Gov., with a period, used before a full name. The plural is Govs. Spell the word out in most other situations, and always keep the period when you shorten it.
When to Use Gov. and When to Spell It Out
Associated Press style draws a clean line. Use Gov. before a person’s full name on first reference, and spell out Governor before a last name alone. So it’s “Gov. Jane Smith” but “Governor Smith.” After the first mention, drop the title and just use the last name.1OIT Brand System. AP Styles
Outside journalism, the choice loosens. A formal letter takes the full word. A legislative chart or a tight headline can lean on the abbreviation. One rule doesn’t bend: the period stays. Drop it and you have a three-letter fragment, not an abbreviation.
Capitalization
Capitalize “Governor” when it sits directly before a name: “Governor Smith signed the bill.” Capitalize it, too, when it stands in for a specific, named officeholder. The U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual capitalizes “the Governor” when the reference is to a particular state’s chief executive, as in “the Governor of Virginia,” or simply “the Governor” when context makes the identity clear.2GovInfo. U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual – Capitalization Rules
Keep it lowercase when the word is generic. “The governor held a press conference” works once the person is already established and the title is functioning as a common noun. “Several governors attended the summit” stays lowercase too, because it names a group rather than an individual.
The Plural: Govs.
For more than one, the plural abbreviation is Govs., with a lowercase “s” and the period at the end. You’ll see it in constructions like “Govs. Smith and Jones sign interstate compact.” Same period rule as the singular.
Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governor follows the same pattern. The abbreviation is Lt. Gov., with periods after both shortened words. AP style treats it identically: use “Lt. Gov.” before a full name, and spell out “Lieutenant Governor” before a last name alone.1OIT Brand System. AP Styles The GPO Style Manual capitalizes “Lieutenant Governor” on the same terms as “Governor”: capitalized for a specific officeholder, lowercase when generic.2GovInfo. U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual – Capitalization Rules
Formal Letters Are the Exception
Don’t carry the abbreviation into formal correspondence. The salutation reads “Dear Governor Smith:” and the address block uses “Governor of [State]” spelled out under the recipient’s name. “Dear Gov. Smith” reads as if you ran out of room. The abbreviation belongs in news copy, headlines, and space-limited documents, not in a letter addressed to a head of state.