# What was Opie's real name on the Andy Griffith Show?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-real-name-on-the-andy-griffith-show/65279>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 13, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-real-name-on-the-andy-griffith-show/65279 "2001-05-13T02:05:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-real-name-on-the-andy-griffith-show/65279/1 "2001-05-13T02:05:14Z")

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This just occured to me when he came up in a crossword puzzle. What was Opie short for?

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**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-real-name-on-the-andy-griffith-show/65279/2 "2001-05-13T02:51:22Z")

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I asked this very Q about 6+ months ago and was referred to an Andy Griffith fan website; search the board and you’ll find the thread with the link.

Apparently Opie was meant to be the kid’s real name. Or if he had another, it was never mentioned in any of the scipts. IIRC, the producers (Sheldon Leonard and Andy Griffith, I think) both admired a depression-era bandleader named Opie something, so they used the name Opie on for Andy’s kid.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-real-name-on-the-andy-griffith-show/65279/3 "2001-05-13T02:55:56Z")

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It’s possible his “real” name was “Opie.”

> [@](#):
>
> 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))

from [here](http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/anewsome/private/faq1.htm)

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**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opies-real-name-on-the-andy-griffith-show/65279/4 "2001-05-13T03:22:37Z")

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Thanks, **stuyguy** and **samclem**. This did seem to be the kind of thing that would have been asked before, but I couldn’t find it. Thanks again.