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Social Security Reveals Most Popular Baby Names in Illinois for 2010

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YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Rock Island, Illinois Office

By Christina Vital
Manager
Rock Island Social Security office

See the list at WWW.SOCIALSECURITY.GOV

The Social Security Administration today announced the most popular baby names in Illinois for 2010. Alexander and Isabella topped the list.

The top five boys and girls names for 2010 in Illinois were:

Boys: Girls:

1) Alexander 1) Isabella
2) Jacob 2) Sophia
3) Michael 3) Olivia
4) Daniel 4) Emma
5) Anthony 5) Emily

Recently, the federal government’s top official for baby names, Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced Isabella and Jacob were the most popular baby names in the U.S. How does Illinois compare to the rest of the country? Check out Social Security’s website — www.socialsecurity.gov — to see the top baby names for 2010.

While having fun with baby names, don’t forget to help someone you care about get an average of almost $4,000 of extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs. Social Security’s website has the top-rated online services in the U.S., including extra help to pay Medicare prescription drug costs. Boldly Go to www.socialsecurity.gov to apply for retirement, disability, Medicare, and so much more.

In addition to each state’s top 100 baby names, Social Security’s website has a list of the 1,000 most popular boys’ and girls’ names for 2010 and a list of the top 100 names for twins born in 2010. The website also offers lists of baby names for each year since 1880.

To read about this year’s winner for biggest jump in popularity, how pop culture (teen moms and frogs) affects baby names, and whether or not Elvis still lives, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/baby-names2010-pr.html

Coming soon, Social Security will introduce a baby names mobile application. The Baby Name Playroom application will provide useful information and promote Social Security’s award-winning online services at www.socialsecurity.gov, plus all the baby names info you want—from your iPhone. Look for the new playroom at Apple’s App Store in the coming weeks.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

We have important information that should be of interest to public employees.

If you work for an employer who does not withhold Social Security taxes from your salary, such as a government agency, the pension you get based on that work may reduce your Social Security benefits under the “Windfall Elimination Provision.”

This provision affects how the amount of your retirement or disability benefit is calculated if you receive a pension from work where Social Security taxes were not taken out of your pay. We use a modified formula to calculate your benefit amount, resulting in a lower Social Security benefit than you otherwise would receive.

Why a modified formula? The law requires we determine Social Security benefit amounts with a formula that gives proportionately higher benefits to workers with low lifetime earnings. Before 1983, people who worked mainly in a job not covered by Social Security had their Social Security benefits calculated as if they were long-term, low-wage workers. They had the advantage of receiving a Social Security benefit representing a higher percentage of their earnings, plus a pension from a job where they did not pay Social Security taxes. Congress passed the Windfall Elimination Provision to remove that advantage.

In addition to the Windfall Elimination Provision, there is another reduction that could make a difference in benefits a spouse, widow, or widower can receive. If you pay into another pension plan and do not pay into Social Security, any spouse, widow, or widower benefits available through Social Security may be subject to a Government Pension Offset. Generally, if government employment was not covered by Social Security, any Social Security benefits must be reduced by two-thirds of the government pension amount.

Why? Benefits we pay to wives, husbands, widows and widowers are “dependent’s” benefits. These benefits were established in the 1930s to compensate spouses who stayed home to raise a family and who were financially dependent on the working spouse. Now it’s more common for both spouses in a married couple to work, each earning his or her own Social Security retirement benefit. The law has always required that a person’s benefit as a spouse, widow, or widower be offset dollar for dollar by the amount of his or her own retirement benefit.

Similarly, if this government employee’s work had instead been subject to Social Security taxes, any Social Security benefit payable as a spouse, widow, or widower would have been reduced by the person’s own Social Security retirement benefit.

Even if you do not receive monthly benefits based on your spouse’s work, you still can get Medicare at age 65 on your spouse’s record if you are not eligible for it on your own record.

Learn more about the Windfall Elimination Provision, at: www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10045.html. To learn more about the Government Pension Offset, please read: www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10007.html.