It's "Love, the Smiths" for the entire family (plural), and "Love, the Smith's" only if you mean something belongs to a single Mr./Ms. Smith (possessive), like "the Smith's house," but generally, use "The Smiths" for the family name on cards; the apostrophe isn't used to make a family name plural.
The Smiths is plural for "Smith" and means there is more than one person named Smith and the invitation is from them all. When in doubt, we like to use "The Smith Family". The Smith's (with an apostrophe before the s) is the possessive of "Smith" and indicates one person ownership.
Plural family names don't get apostrophes, so it's Smiths. Possessives get apostrophes, so it's Mr. Smith's dog or plural possessive it's the Smiths' dog.
To show possession using an apostrophe, add 's for individuals (“Smith's car”) and just the apostrophe after the s for plurals (“the Smiths' car,” “the Martinezes' dog”).
“The Smiths,” not “The Smith's.” 🖊️You *would* use the possessive if you're inviting someone somewhere. Ex. “You're invited to John Smith's holiday party” or “You're invited to the Smiths' party.” The party belongs to you (you're in possession of it).
An apostrophe is only used for two things and that is to show possession and for contractions and you're not doing either when you're signing your name. So, if you have a family name sign and you want to show that it's your family's house, you can use "s" apostrophe because it's your house.
For decades, use '70s (with an apostrophe before the number for the missing "19") for contractions like "the '70s," and use 1970s (no apostrophe) for the full form or as an adjective (e.g., "1970s music"), while 70s (no apostrophe) is a common plural, but avoid 70's as it incorrectly suggests possession or pluralizes the number itself, not the decade.
The Wilson's is wrong. It indicates that one person – the top Wilson of all Wilsons – possesses the house. If you wanted to indicate it was a residence belonging to the Wilson family, it would be The Wilsons'. This indicates more than one person named Wilson possesses the residence.
Never add an apostrophe!
Never use an apostrophe when making a last name plural, as it implies possession rather than a plural family name. These would all be incorrect: The Smith's, The Jones', The Rodriguez's.
"I love the Smiths." 500 Days of Summer 2009 Marc Webb.
Davis' is the possessive plural for the noun.... . Kelle Millett that would be for one Davis. “Pamela Davis' daughter lives here.” But if there's more than one Davis, it's Davises and to make that possessive you could add the apostrophe after.
If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. The first option is more common.
When a common noun is plural and ends in s, add only an apostrophe. When proper names end in s (whether singular or plural), add only an apostrophe. Use Lewis University's, the University's or Lewis' when showing possession in a sentence. Never use Lewis's.
Apostrophes with Words Ending in S
Rule 2 of Apostrophes from The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation says: Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession. Examples: one class's opinion; one girl's opinion; Ms. Jones's opinion; Mr. Cross's opinion.
Both Lucas's and Lucas' are generally considered correct for the possessive form of the name Lucas, but style guides differ; Lucas's (adding 's) is often preferred for clarity and by some U.S. guides (like MLA), while Lucas' (just an apostrophe) is also common, especially in British English or for classical names, with both being acceptable for singular names ending in 's'.
You cannot add an apostrophe before an “s” when the surname ends in “s.” For instance, do not make the name “Andrews” possessive by putting the apostrophe between the “w” and the “s” (Andrew's). That is changing the spelling of “Andrews.” A person's name is the most personal thing they have.
It is tempting to say “the Smith's” but you would be incorrect! The apostrophe is used to indicate possession, not plurality. I think of it like this - the apostrophe states they own something. Not that they are a group of people.So the correct method would be “The Smiths.”
Strictly speaking, '90s, with the apostrophe, is correct.
According to The Chicago Manual of Style, you don't use an apostrophe.
The best of 70s slang
It's Lopez's for singular possession (e.g., Lopez's car) and Lopezes' for plural possession (e.g., the Lopezes' house), but you can also use just an apostrophe for singular names ending in 's' or 'z' (e.g., Lopez' car) or rephrase to avoid the issue entirely by saying the Lopez family.
Both Chris's (apostrophe + s) and Chris' (apostrophe only) are acceptable for the singular possessive of "Chris," depending on the style guide, but Chris's is often preferred for clarity and follows traditional rules, while Chris' is used by some (like AP Style) to avoid the double 's' sound. For consistency, choose one style and stick with it, as both show possession for a single person named Chris.
So, technically you can actually write it either way, but unless you are following your publisher's style guide, if you are writing fiction in the U.S., it's probably best to follow Chicago and write "James's."