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How to write your family name on a sign

A stray apostrophe on a family name sign stays on the wall for years. Here is the rule, the awkward cases and the easy way out, so nobody at the housewarming has to bite their tongue.

Last updated November 8, 2026

Close view of a navy coordinates canvas: Johnson in cream script, a gold pin, the coordinates and Denver, CO, Est 2008
In this guide

The short answer

To say more than one Smith lives here, write The Smiths. No apostrophe. An apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone, and it doesn’t make a name plural.

Right

  • The Smiths
  • The Smith Family
  • The Smiths’ Lake House

Not right

  • The Smith’s
  • The Smiths Family
  • The Smith’s Family

The Smiths’ on its own, with the apostrophe after the s, is a possessive. It can stand for the Smiths’ house, but with nothing after it, many people will read it as a mistake, so The Smiths is the safer choice.

The plural, by how the name ends

Name ends inAddExample
Most letterssSmith becomes The Smiths
sesJones becomes The Joneses
xesFox becomes The Foxes
zesLopez becomes The Lopezes
chesChurch becomes The Churches
shesWalsh becomes The Walshes
ys (keep the y)Kennedy becomes The Kennedys
fs (keep the f)Wolf becomes The Wolfs

People’s names keep their spelling when they become plural, which is why it is The Kennedys and never The Kennedies. A name with a silent ending can be a judgment call, so go by how the family says it.

When an apostrophe is right

Use one only when a word that belongs to them follows the name. Make the name plural first, then add the apostrophe at the end.

Examples

  • The Smiths’ Lake House
  • The Joneses’ Cabin
  • The Kennedys’ Beach House

The easy way out

If you are looking at The Gonzalezes and feeling unsure, write The Gonzalez Family. Or use the name alone, Gonzalez, which looks handsome on a sign and can’t be spelled wrong in that particular way.

Many of our designs do this for you. On these, type your last name only, in its usual form:

  • Family crossword canvas: the family name goes in tiles, or prints with FAMILY under it on the barnwood style. Up to 14 characters, and barnwood fits 10.
  • Coordinates canvas, lake house and beach house styles: type Johnson and it prints as THE JOHNSON FAMILY. Up to 12 characters.
  • Custom Lake Map: type Kowalski and it prints as THE KOWALSKI FAMILY.
  • Beach house canvas: type Miller and it prints with THE above it and FAMILY BEACH HOUSE below.

On a few pieces you type the whole phrase. On the family name woven throw, either The Thompsons or Thompson works, up to 16 characters. Type the plural the way you want it, because we never add ’s.

Farmhouse Patchwork woven throw reading THE MILLERS, EST. 1998, on a bed with plaid pillows
On four of the six throw designs, the name is woven in capitals. Winter Cabin and Botanical weave it in script, exactly as you type it.

What year goes after Est.?

Est. means established, and it’s your call what that means. The usual choices:

  • The year you married, a popular choice for a couple.
  • The year you moved in, or the place became yours.
  • The year the family started, if that is what you think of as the beginning.
  • For a lake or beach house, the year you bought it or first stayed there.

A wedding gift with Est. and the wedding year is a safe choice. If you aren’t sure of a house date, ask or leave it off where the listing allows.

Check before you order

  • Is it Stephens or Stevens? Mc or Mac? Look at an envelope, not your memory.
  • Has anyone recently changed their name? Do both spouses use the same one?
  • Spaces and capitals matter: MacDonald, Mcdonald, De La Cruz, O’Brien. Where a design prints in script or as typed, it comes out exactly as you enter it.
  • Hyphenated names fit if they are short enough. Montgomery-Davis fits the 16-character home style on our coordinates canvas.
  • Capitals print without accents on our crossword and coordinates canvases, so José prints as JOSE.

Family name pieces

Family Crossword Canvas

Your names crossing on tiles, in 8 styles for families, grandkids, couples and pets.

from $69See it on Etsy

Coordinates Family Name Canvas

Your family name, the exact coordinates of home, lake or beach house, and your year.

from $69See it on Etsy

Family Name Woven Throw with Est. Year

Your last name woven big in cotton, with fringe on all 4 edges, in 6 designs.

from $89.99See it on Etsy

Questions people ask

Is it The Smiths or The Smith’s?

The Smiths. Use an apostrophe only when something that belongs to them follows the name, as in The Smiths’ Lake House.

How do you make a last name ending in s plural?

Add es, so Jones becomes The Joneses and Harris becomes The Harrises. If that looks odd to you, write The Jones Family instead.

Is it The Kennedys or The Kennedies?

The Kennedys. People’s names keep their usual spelling when they become plural, so the y stays.

What does Est. mean on a family sign?

Est. stands for established. Many couples use their wedding year, and others use the year they moved in or the place became theirs.

Orders go through Etsy. Each See it on Etsy button opens our shop, The Kind Porch, where you personalize, pay and message us.