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We go with what we like. I almost prefer popular (like top 100) because my name was never on ANYTHING as a kid and I hated it.

DH's name is Gene
I like the middle ground. I don't want something that is super popular, but not something tht is way out there either!

If I love a name, I absolutely do not care! And most of the names I truly love are more classic, so they are often on the top lists, their position just rises and falls.

My name was #1 the year I was born. It was kind of annoying having 5 other people in my class with the same name (even now I meet people with my name quite often). We wanted something in/around the top 100, though. I prefer super popular to super unique.

ETA: Even though my name was #1, at least I never have to spell it or pronounce it for anyone...definitely a plus!

I have a unique (well is was 33 years ago, now it's top 100) name and I loved not ever having another class mate with my name.
DH has a regular Joe name and he doesn't like that he always meets other Joes. Our neighbors on both sides are Joe. It's kinda weird.

We purposefully chose uncommon names, and were surprised to see they were both in the Top 5 the year they were born. Kind of annoying, since we purposefully didn't choose a popular namE!

I agree with the popular versus trendy distinction. I guess I would prefer a name that isn't super popular, but my husband doesn't care at all. Our current favorite boy name is an older name that is growing in popularity-- he thinks it would be silly not to use just b/c others are using it as well.

I don't mind if its popular if its a classic name, like Charles, but wouldn't want a name that was so trendy that others will be able to point out the decade the kiddo was born in for the rest of their life.

My DH and I both have extremely popular names for our birth year. I think mine was #2 that year. We wanted to get a middle ground with our LOs - so they wouldn't be one of four with the name in their classes, but their names are also common enough names that people know how to spell them, pronounce them, etc. Their names are Alice and Blake.

I didn't want top ten bc I didn't want her to always have to be Emily H or whatever. Dh and I both have popular names for our birth year, and his in particular is one of those names where you just go by your last name bc there are so many others. But beyond that I wasn't too fussed about it. C's name usin the lower 100s on the ssa list which was a happy spot or us- but like @jedeve: in kind if surprised it isn't more popular bc it's such a pretty name (I think!).

I have a John (Jack) and Elizabeth (Ellie), so they don't bother me in the least

I don't mind popular names. My name was #2 for the year I was born, DD1 and DD2's names are both top 10 and we're ok with that. As others have said, it's different now than it was 30 years ago. E and C may have one other person in their class with their name, but I doubt they'll be one of five E or Cs in their class.

Doesn't bother me! DD's name is popular but we liked it way before it got on the top of the list.

@Greentea: I agree! I was really sad to see that a name that we loved for so long is now in the top 10. I think my desire for my LO to have a name that is not shared with 5 other LOs will out weigh my love for the name.

I don't mind popular classic names at all, for example I really like Noah for a boy and that was #1 last year but I'd still consider it! But, I don't want to use a name that other people we know have or have used for their children-- it's kind of superstitious for me, it's bad luck to name a child after someone living in Jewish/Ashkenazi culture. So, I love the name Benjamin and would totally use it without hesitation but one of our closest friends is a Ben. So, we will most likely choose a not very popular name again for the next baby

I love classic names, not trendy names. It seems, however, that classic names are making a huge resurgence and have become ultra popular. Not gonna lie, it hurts my heart a little when I see newborns with names I wanted to use... but they're classic for a reason! I wouldn't not choose a name I LOVED just because it was in the top 20 or something.

Me! Jacob was the #1 name for a bajillion years but I still love the name and it fits him perfectly. I don't regret it for a second.

To me there is a difference between popular and trendy. Popular to me are names that have always been around and continue to be used often. These are names like Katherine, Elizabeth, Michael, Charles. These names absolutely do not bother me. They're great, timeless names that are popular for a reason.

Trendy names to me are names that are just hot for a moment in time, maybe a year or so and then fade out. I also notice a trend of them being used a lot by younger mothers. Right now it's names like Aiden, Mia, Harper, Jayden, etc. These names start to bug me just based on their over-use, although as stand alone names in a vacuum, they're totally fine names.

@Greentea: really?!?!

I prefer classic names and many of them are ranked very high. My son's name has been very popular in France for the last several years (and not at all in the US), but it is super classic.