# What was Opie's full name?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-full-name/326616>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 17, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-full-name/326616 "2005-10-17T17:28:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Malificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Malificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malificent)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-full-name/326616/1 "2005-10-17T17:28:41Z")

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Ron Howard got his acting start on “The Andy Griffith Show” playing a character named Opie Taylor. What did “Opie” stand for?

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-full-name/326616/2 "2005-10-17T17:37:37Z")

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I found this:  
[http://www.zille.com/griffith/faqresults.asp?type=3&start=1](http://www.zille.com/griffith/faqresults.asp?type=3&start=1)

> [@](#):
>
> Q. What was the origin of the name Opie? Was it short for something?  
> A. Jim Clark once told me that Opie Taylor was most likely named for Opie Cates, a prominent bandleader of the '40s or ‘50s whom Andy Griffith and Sheldon Leonard both admired. I have never figured out if Mr. Cates’ name was short for something else, or if it was really “O.P.” Opie Taylor did spell his name O-P-I-E. It can be seen on the love note he wrote to Miss Crump in “Opie Loves Helen”, and on the board he burned his name into in “Barney’s Sidecar.” --Paul Mulik([paulmulik@getonthe.net](mailto:paulmulik@getonthe.net))

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-full-name/326616/3 "2005-10-17T17:38:05Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Q. What was the origin of the name Opie? Was it short for something?  
> A. Jim Clark once told me that Opie Taylor was most likely named for Opie Cates, a prominent bandleader of the '40s or ‘50s whom Andy Griffith and Sheldon Leonard both admired. I have never figured out if Mr. Cates’ name was short for something else, or if it was really “O.P.” Opie Taylor did spell his name O-P-I-E. It can be seen on the love note he wrote to Miss Crump in “Opie Loves Helen”, and on the board he burned his name into in “Barney’s Sidecar.” --Paul Mulik([paulmulik@getonthe.net](mailto:paulmulik@getonthe.net))

[http://www.zille.com/griffith/faqresults.asp?type=3&start=1](http://www.zille.com/griffith/faqresults.asp?type=3&start=1)

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-full-name/326616/4 "2005-10-17T17:58:07Z")

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I can answer the question about Opie Cates: Yes, “Opie” was really Cates’ first name, and was not from the initials “O.P.” He appears in the Social Security Death Index as Opie T. Cates (10 Oct 1909 — 6 Nov 1987).