If you could know in advance how popular a name would become and could choose when it became popular, would you prefer to use the name before, at, or after it peaks. How far in advance or afterwards?
That depends on how high the peak was and how fast it flattens out. But realistically, maybe 10-15 years after the peak? That way people will be familliar with the name and know how to spell/pronounce it, but there won’t be a confusing amount of people with the same name throughout the child’s school years, and they will still be assumed to be of roughly the same generation as they really are once they grow older.
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I want to my children to have well-known, classic names that have been established names since at least the 1800s and as for popularity, I would give them names that are a little past their peak instead of getting more popular so they don’t have trendy names. It also kind of depends on how popular the name is. If it always stays around 100, for example, but has risen to 97 or dropped to 105 in the next few years, it’s different than a name that suddenly rises or drops 100 places in a few years.
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If I could choose the popularity I’d go for a name that’s always been kind of around without a real peak, so rather timeless
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I’m a fan of names that have never have and likely will never (at least according to the US’s SSA database) peak above 100 (500 preferred but some of my husband’s favorites are bit more popular than that) but will also serve them well in life (i.e. not Blanket, etc).
Examples (that we most likely won’t be using):
Girls: [name_f]Isannah[/name_f], [name_f]Issoria[/name_f], [name_u]Nairne[/name_u]
Boys: [name_m]Illarion[/name_m], [name_m]Osias[/name_m], [name_u]Viridian[/name_u]
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Before, with the vague hope it doesn’t peak 
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Slightly before because I’d rather be on the cutting edge of a trend than right in the thick of it or late to the party.
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