I’m always seeing people say how they can’t use a name/they’re turned off a name because of its popularity. On the flip side, people also seem a bit wary of names they’ve pretty much never heard of. Where’s your “perfect area” in terms of how well-known a name is? Is it a certain SSA ranking? Also, does it make a difference if you’ve never met anyone named, say, [name]Sophia[/name] or [name]Jacob[/name]? What about if you knew five people named, say, [name]Persephone[/name] which has a very low SSA ranking?
For me, I wanted familiar names that people could see on paper and pronounce easily, a name people knew, but also names that were not super popular. I think I failed at the easy to pn part as well as what people know with [name]Bronwen[/name]'s name (although it fits her and I love it), the only one I feel I really hit that with is [name]Linus[/name]. Everyone knows it, can pn it, but its not even in the top 1000 on the ssa name list! Its such a fine line depending on where you live too, locally its a good match with [name]Sebastian[/name] and [name]Violet[/name], we have met but a handfull if that of each. Although nationwide I know they are both fairly popular.
For me, I’d say my perfect area is a name that’s out of the top 200 for sure (unless its a classic like [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]James[/name], then you can’t expect anything else), although really I love the ones hovering just up over 1,000 even more, as there’s less danger of them skyrocketing into the top 50.
I don’t think it makes too much of a difference if I’ve never met anyone with the name. I’d almost prefer it, that way there’s no immediate associations early on. Although if I’ve heard of someone with it, (books, TV, friend of a friend, etc) that can be nice.
And as far as knowing a lot of people with a strange name, I guess that really depends where you live. If I knew 5 [name]Persephone[/name]'s-- I only know 2 
– then I’d have no worry naming a baby something like [name]Peridot[/name] or [name]Twila[/name] because its likely I’d be living in a place with people who are open to less common names.
For the most part, if a name is in the top 100, I’d like to avoid it. However, if I absolutely love a name, I may make an exception. It seems I tend to like names either hovering around the 200-300 range, or ones that barely make it onto the top 1000, assuming they even make it. IMO, as long as a name could actually pass off as a name and isn’t otherwise cruel or taboo, it’s not too “unheard of”. I don’t worry much about whether my child’s name would get odd looks, given I live in a “hippy-dippy” type area. At the same time, I realize any child of mine would not stay in this area all their life, so I wouldn’t want to give them a name that would embarrass them or reflect poorly on them during the important milestones of life, such as school graduation or job hunting.
I also plan to avoid using names of people I know on a more personal level. Living relatives/in-laws or close friends are automatically out, and any deceased family members’ names are going to be relegated to the middle name slot.
For me it has to be name that I never met. I’d like the name to be unique in the sense that I don’t personally know anyone with the name. Whether it be a high or low SSA ranking.
Popularity is definitely a concern, but I’m more worried about trendiness than anything. That’s why I struck one of my favorite names, [name]Archer[/name], from my list, even though it’s only in the 500s. I can’t bear to let go of [name]Eloise[/name], however – and I’m clinging to [name]Alice[/name] and [name]Lydia[/name] as well!
I don’t go based on SSA rankings.
I tend to go based on how often I hear it, and even then I don’t let it deter me. It’s only when I hear/see the name so much that I get desensitized to it.
I tend to like names that are familiar but not necessarily expected. Keyword: Tend. [name]Emma[/name]'s a name I like it but it’s common.