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Florida's class of 2040 will be full of Liams and Olivias.

Driving the news: Those were the two most popular baby names recorded in the state for the second year in a row, per 2022 data recently released by the Social Security Administration.

The big picture: The rest of the country loves those names too. Liam has been the top choice for new parents in the U.S. for six consecutive years, and Olivia has topped the list for four.

Zoom in: The top five male baby names in Florida last year were:

What we're watching: The fastest-rising names. More Floridians are opting for Everly and Atlas, while names that saw the biggest drops in popularity include Alexa (thanks, Amazon?) and Jada.

Data: U.S. Social Security Administration; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Liam and Olivia top Florida's popular baby name list for second year

Meanwhile, names like Everly and Atlas are gaining popularity.

Illustration of a baby wearing a "hello my name is" sticker. 

Children

Florida&#x27;s class of 2040 will be full of Liams and Olivias.Driving the news: Those were the two most popular baby names recorded in the state for the second year in a row, per 2022 data recently released by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Social Security Administration" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/" data-vars-content-id="3bf10054-be65-434b-8a0a-29ad85a4b7e8" data-vars-headline="Liam and Olivia top Florida&#x27;s popular baby name list for second year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/" target="_blank">Social Security Administration</a>.

News

Axios Tampa Bay, anchored by Ben Montgomery and Selene San Felice, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

Data: U.S. Census, Wikipedia; Visual: Will Chase, Jacque Schrag, Tory Lysik/Axios

The U.S. is filled with towns and cities that were named after foreign places: You can take a trip to Naples, Florida, or Paris, Illinois. 

In fact, there are so many of these cities that you could go on a world tour without ever leaving the Sunshine State, a new project from the Axios Visuals team shows.

By the numbers: Florida has at least 19 foreign-named cities, from our very own St. Petersburg and Sarasota County's Venice to Miramar and Melbourne.

The big picture: These names were often given by immigrants in honor of their home country or city, explaining why Dutch names cluster in the Hudson Valley or why Scandinavian names are common in Minnesota.

Between the lines: The names of these places reflect the history of immigration in the U.S. They mostly exhibit who had the money and status to settle in the U.S. and who was legally allowed to do so. 

The majority, 72%, of names in our data set originate from Europe, while only a small fraction come from Asia, Africa or Latin America.

Zoom in: Peter Demens, an exiled Russian aristocrat, named our very own St. Petersburg, according to the city.

Roughly 135 years ago, Demens was given land in what's now St. Pete from settler John Constantine Williams, who moved to Tampa from Detroit, Michigan, in 1875. 

Demens, a railway owner, helped extend the Orange Belt Railroad to Williams' settlement here. The first train arrived in St. Pete in 1888.

According to local lore, Demens and Williams decided who would name the city with a coin toss. Demens won, naming it after Saint Petersburg, Russia. 

Fun fact: Williams named the city's first hotel after his hometown, Detroit.

Weigh in: Do you live in one of these towns? Did you know about its cultural history? 

Email us to share any interesting factoids, pronunciation differences or photos. 

Go deeper: Check out the full project with interactive maps, graphics, and more!

You can travel the world without ever leaving Florida

Florida has at least 18 foreign-named cities, from our very own St. Petersburg and Sarasota County's Venice to Miramar and Melbourne.

Florida

A map of cities in Florida named after foreign places.

The U.S. is filled with towns and cities that were named after foreign places: You can take a trip to Naples, Florida, or Paris, Illinois. <ul><li>In fact, there are so many of these cities that you could go on a world tour without ever leaving the Sunshine State, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a new project" data-vars-click-url="https://graphics.axios.com/2023-no-passport/index.html" data-vars-content-id="58675c37-d7bd-4128-b31d-6162ae58bcda" data-vars-headline="You can travel the world without ever leaving Florida" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://graphics.axios.com/2023-no-passport/index.html" target="_blank">a new project</a> from the Axios Visuals team shows.</li></ul>

Things to Do

The nation's teacher shortage is continuing into the new year, and it's straining Tampa Bay classrooms.

State of play: More than 4,400 teaching positions need to be filled statewide, according to the Florida Department of Education's last count in September. That's double the amount of pre-pandemic openings.

But the state teachers union says that the number of vacancies are far higher, roughly 5,300 as of this month, per an analysis of open roles posted on district websites, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Zoom in: In Tampa Bay, some districts have hundreds of openings to fill.

Hillsborough County had more than 530 teacher vacancies, WFTS reported last month, while Polk and Pasco had around 200 late last year. 

"That's a large number of students who do not have or may not have a highly qualified skilled teacher in front of them every single day," Hillsborough County Schools superintendent Addison Davis told the station.

The intrigue: Local districts have been resorting to new methods to fill these vacancies. Pasco County is now using a cultural exchange program to find teachers, per WTSP.

Personnel shortages got so bad in Sarasota last year that the county asked parents to teach.

The big picture: Across the country, teacher shortages have been worsening in public schools since the pandemic, with many citing burnout and "the desire for better pay" as top reasons for departures, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson reports.

Between the lines: Gov. Ron DeSantis approved $800 million in funding last spring to raise the average minimum teacher pay to at least $47,500. 

But the state allocations have been held up in some districts, like Hillsborough, due to disagreements between districts and union leaders over salary plans, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

What they're saying: Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association union, called the vacancies the "most pressing issue facing the education of Florida's students."

Spar said statewide teacher vacancies have increased more than 200% compared to five years ago.

The other side: A state Department of Education spokesperson called the state's teacher shortage "mythical," considering that the vacancies represent 2.4% of Florida's total teaching positions.

The spokesperson also told Axios that the teachers union's vacancy data is flawed. 

"An advertised position on a school district website does not mean there is a current vacancy," a spokesperson said, adding that it could be to plan for the upcoming school year or prepare for future teacher retirements, among other reasons.

What we're watching: The department will conduct its annual survey of teacher vacancies in September.

Tampa Bay school districts look to fill hundreds of teacher vacancies

Pasco County is now using a cultural exchange program to find teachers.

Illustration of a teacher's chalkboard with "Now Hiring" written across it.

The nation&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="teacher shortage" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/natiional-teacher-shortage-burnout-pandemic-education-deficit" data-vars-content-id="d3f9dcd4-11a8-462d-8428-bae2db60b141" data-vars-headline="Tampa Bay school districts look to fill hundreds of teacher vacancies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/natiional-teacher-shortage-burnout-pandemic-education-deficit" target="_self">teacher shortage</a> is continuing into the new year, and it&#x27;s straining Tampa Bay classrooms.State of play: More than 4,400 teaching positions need to be filled statewide, according to the Florida Department of Education&#x27;s last count in September. That&#x27;s double the amount of pre-pandemic openings.

Alexa Mencia

Featured stories

Liam and Olivia top Florida's popular baby name list for second year

You can travel the world without ever leaving Florida

Tampa Bay school districts look to fill hundreds of teacher vacancies