I like to have a grasp of names popularities. It probably is lame to care so much, but I just can't help it. Also as a sheer morbid curiosity thing.

It kinda helps narrow down my list, popularity isn't the biggest deal for me, but when having to choose between to names then I generally go with the least common.

I wouldn't use unusual names just for the sake of it, that's a bit pretentious, but having grown up with such a common given name I can see the benefits of unusual names and would like my children to have that.