Surely Opie was not the "real" name of Andy's son! Was it ever explained what Opie's full name was? Was Opie a nickname? Was Opie short for something else - Oedipus? Just joking! This is just one of those little things that gets stuck in your brain, and you just gotta know!

Surely Opie was not the "real" name of Andy's son! Was it ever explained what Opie's full name was? Was Opie a nickname? Was Opie short for something else - Oedipus? Just joking! This is just one of those little things that gets stuck in your brain, and you just gotta know!We were only ever given "Opie Taylor." No other explanation was given on screen. There may be more information in one of the TAGS related books.

Apparently, Opie is a real name. I found this reference in the FAQ's section of the The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club site

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)