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I use unpopular ones that I love lol

For the romance stories I wrote I preferred more melodic names because they sound more romantic they had latin roots which is also the mother of all the romantic languages so think names like Lorenzo, Vincent and for girls names like Elise, Catarina...
Now for children the rules are different:
1. I like names with no natural nicknames because I want to be able to choose what my child will be called instead of having nicknames
2. For boys I like strong and sharp sounding names with fewer vowels so for my son Grant was the ideal choice
3. Names that aren't popular but at the same time aren't unheard of hence why Grant felt so right being around #200 on the ranks
4. Classic, timeless feel because I have a hard time enjoying trendy/made up names that most likely only survive for a decade or so
5. For middle names I would be more adventurous and could use names that have nicknames just because nobody shortens middle names

I had five rules when it came to naming my child;

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1) It had to be a name that I liked for a long time. As a name-nerd I knew I wouldn't be 100% pleased by any name I chose, choosing one I'd liked for years would lessen that displeasure.

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2) I wanted a name that ranked consistently and that wasn't too popular. My daughter's name, Miriam, has ranked in the top 1,00 for the past 100 years. It's common, but isn't going to suddenly shoot to the top 10. Ny name was very uncommon when I was born, now it's becoming trendy. My sister disliked her name for how popular it was.

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3) If there was a question of how the name was pronounced, it was out. Naomi, Raphael, and Katarina were gone.

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4) It had to feel right for my our family. This is difficult to explain. I love Georgia, but it didn't 'feel' right. Ditto with Sylvia and Liora. Miriam did.

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5) I preferred that the name not be used by any family members, including the middle name. I have 21 nieces and nephews, this was a bit of a challenge. I also wanted it to honor family members.

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And I was willing to throw most of these rules out and name my daughter Nora, one of the most popular names at the moment. Husband wouldn't let me. I still like the name and think my daughter would be a good Nora.

I avoid names that are super common. Unless only a common name fits the character and is necessary, I like to give my characters more unique names. I want the reader's number one association of the name to be with my character.

When naming characters I try to keep it pretty accurate as to the time period and culture. For example a historical story set in Tudor England the characters would be named Catherine, Alice, and William instead of Jennifer, Melissa, and Jason. I once read a historical romance set in medieval times and female lead was named Alyssa. The name Alyssa probably didn’t exist then.

naming my player characters in video games (mostly Fallout and Elder Scrolls) I try to have names that fit the character's race (humans of different kinds, elves, and the like) and also a name that is unique (not used before by a character in the series). then if they have a surname I use one from a minor background character in a different game in the series.

I dont write stories and. havent since middle school. I assume prople here are that age.

I don't name characters: no talent for writing at all. I like to use family names for my children, but there are lots that I'd avoid. Percy and Muriel top the list, but there are others. Eva and Ernest, for instance.