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What do you think: What is Barney Fife's real middle name?
We're not sure even Barney Fife knows! Do you?
There's plenty of fun facts to dive into when it comes to the Mayberry community. Characters from the show have a wealth of backstory following them; it's the reason behind why audiences love the show today as they did when it first aired. The more there is to learn, the better the show becomes.
With all of the depth that comes with the world of Mayberry and its inhabitants, there's one small piece that no one can seem to agree on: No one knows Barney Fife's middle name.
When a show runs as long as The Andy Griffith Show, especially in that era, there are a few minor continuity issues that may fall between the seams. With a plethora of writers working on the script over the years, one of the most notable cases of this issue is that Deputy Fife, the leading character second only to Andy Taylor himself, does not have a consistent middle name.
There have been plenty of hints of what his middle name or initial could be over the years; some argue that it's "P." with no context for what that stands for. Others say that it is "Tibbs," after Barney believes he is a descendant of Mayberry Revolutionary War hero Nathan Tibbs. In a high school year book, the name "Milton" is printed under his photo but never confirmed. Sheriff Taylor even adds to the list by reckoning, "I thought your middle names was Oliver."
The time has come to put this to bed. You tell us: What do you believe is Barney's Fife's real middle name?
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What is Bernard "Barney" Fife's middle name?
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What do you think: What is Barney Fife's real middle name?
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26 Comments
100%...nice!
My theory is that Barney was given the middle name Milton by his parents, but he hated that name. So, he would pretend it was something else. Over the years he would claim it was different things. When he gave his name as an one of the authors of a history book, he fancied his preferred middle name as an unknown name beginning with 'P'. Another time, he told Andy it was "Oliver". Later, he was fancying himself as an expert on the historical Tibbs, so he claimed that as his middle name. Likely he went through other supposed middle names that we never heard about.
However, when he was first registered for school, his parents had to present his birth certificate, which had his full legal name on it, and that went into his school records. And that was what his high school went by for their yearbook photos.
However, when he was first registered for school, his parents had to present his birth certificate, which had his full legal name on it, and that went into his school records. And that was what his high school went by for their yearbook photos.
Bernard P. Milton Oliver Fife.
Take your pick.
Take your pick.
I like this selection. Having two middle names myself, I have noticed that many people will assume you only have a single middle name.
I like Milton best, so I'm going with that. ^p^
And of course him and Andy were cousins then not
The Cutlass has him as Bernard Milton Fife.
ITS MILTON -THE HIGH SCHOOL YEAR SAYS !!!! DAAAAA !!!!!!! 🤪
Of course it's "P."...Bernard P. Fife, lol
He had an old history book of his, and he tells How everyone put their name as the author and it says this book belongs to Bernard P. Fife.
Absolutely correct you are...I remember that also
I seem to remember him saying Barney P. Fife. Way back when I used to watch TV a lot while doing household chores or homework, and that show was often rerun along with many others.
Now I'm wondering... was Barney's Mom's maiden name Piccolo, so maybe that's where Barney's middle-initial P comes from? Think about it a while.
Now I'm wondering... was Barney's Mom's maiden name Piccolo, so maybe that's where Barney's middle-initial P comes from? Think about it a while.
Are you suggesting that Barney's mom was related to Jenny Piccolo on Happy Days?
Think about the two last names... any connection?
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50% similar to the most popular responses
I picked Milton
Google: In the episode "Class Reunion", Barney's middle name is Milton, though at other times he is called "Bernard P. Fife". In another episode, where he believes he is the descendant of Nathan Tibbs, a Mayberry Revolutionary hero, he says his name is "Barney Tibbs Fife".
50% similar to the most popular responses
I picked Milton
Google: In the episode "Class Reunion", Barney's middle name is Milton, though at other times he is called "Bernard P. Fife". In another episode, where he believes he is the descendant of Nathan Tibbs, a Mayberry Revolutionary hero, he says his name is "Barney Tibbs Fife".
Absolutely correct , Sir.
Milton or P.
I picked Milton since it was in the high school yearbook.
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100% similar to the most popular responses
100% similar
100% similar to the most popular responses
50% Picked P.
I have a suggestion for the MeTV staff if they've run out of future quizzes to quiz us on: It has to do with the Muppets, whether they appeared on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, or even Fraggle Rock. The question is this: Did Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, voice this Muppet? You give us the name of any Muppet and we'll try to guess whether Jim Henson was the voice behind it or not.
I have a quiz suggestion too: "Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, or Both?". List some actors, you have to figure out if they were on only "The Twilight Zone", only "Night Gallery", or were they on both shows.
I've got one myself, that would lend itself to a single-question "what do *you* think?" quiz that doesn't resolve anything: exactly how were Alan Brady and Mel Cooley related? We heard many times that they were brothers-in-law, but was it because Alan was married to Mel's sister, or because Mel married Alan's sister? I seem to recall hearing The Dick Van Dyke Show suggest both at different times (the way Rob's army buddy might have been named either Sam or Sol, Pomeroy or Pomerantz, depending which episode you watch).
Maybe both had sisters, and each married the other's sister. That would make any children the two couples had double cousins.
I picked: Milton! got: 100% similar!