What's my next NIKKOR (Nikon) Lens?

I own a Nikon D90 with four lens.
Fisheye
24-55mm auto
50mm manual
80mm manual

Lately I've been using the 80mm for seniors and family portraits but if a family member doesn't stand in my focal range, the bokeh gets the best of them. I need a new lens that can focus on many faces at once but still has good background bokeh. I've researched for months but I need opinions. Budget is around $600-$800

Your issue may be more technique than lens. To get more people in focus, you need to increase the total Depth of Field (DoF). However, this may background blur. But you may be able to compensate for this by getting closer to your subject.

DoF (total in-focus distance) is influenced by:

1.decreasing the focal length of the lens increases DoF/increasing the focal length reduces it.
2.decreasing the focal point distance decreases DoF/increasing the distance reduces it.
3.decreasing the aperture opening increases DoF/increasing the opening reduces it.

So try various combinations of focal length, focus distance, and aperture before buying a new lens.

There are on-line DoF calculators that might help. Dial in the focus distance, focal length, and aperture, and it will give you the total in-focus DoF. Experiment with the calculator until you get your desired in-focus range:

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Here is a webpage showing how DoF changes with changes in aperture, focal length, and focus point:

http://www.althephoto.com/concepts/selectivefocus.php

Really only YOU can determine which is the best, "next" lens is.

Here are two links you can use for now

http://imaging.nikon.com/...simulator/

http://www.nikonusa.com/...index.page

Basically in short, you need to increase the depth of field and see if that helps X

If you can't work it out for yourself, save your money and concentrate on getting the best out of the kit you have.