I recently caught a rerun where Andy introduced Goober as "Goober Beasley".
I thought he was Goober Pyle? Or is that an assumption too many people make just because he is Gomer's cousin?

I always thought it was Pyle too.

According to all the following sources, Goober's last name is Pyle:

The Andy Griffith Show Book, by Ken Beck & Jim Clark
The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network & Cable TV Shows
The Great TV Sitcom Book, by Rick Mitz
TV Guide Guide to TV

However, The Andy Griffith Show Book does state, in a section called
"Contradictions" that "Goober Pyle was once called Goober Beasley by Andy."

thanks TV Star Collector! That had me so puzzled :crazy:

Very strange. It seems continuity wasn't very important in those days for sitcoms. Everyone thought the audience wouldn't notice. We're smarter than they give us credit for!

Some other contractions on the show:

In one episode, Floyd Lawson is called Floyd Colby. Floyd has a son and wife
in a couple of episodes, but he is a widower with no children in one episode.

On several occasions, Barney says it's 12 miles to Mt. Pilot, but Andy says
it's an hour's drive; Emmett once said it was about a 30-minute drive.

In the first class reunion, Barney and Andy were graduates of the Mayberry
Union High class of 1945, but in the second reunion episode, a banner reads
"Class of '48."

When they were writing the show, I would bet they didn't think it would still be watched so many years later.

'Beasley' is a pretty common southern name. On an AG album there's a song called something like 'To the beautiful Juanita Beasley'. I should know about southern Beasleys. That's my last name and I'm from Alabama!