Hmm not sure on how popular all of them are but on islands I've run into:
Audie (took)
Dobie (left as I have Wolfgang)
Dom (took)
Fauna (took)
Flora (left)
Flurry (took)
Hamlet (took)
Marina (took)
Ruby (left)
Sherb (took)
Skye (left)
I guess I have pretty decent luck since I've never had to go to more than 15 islands before taking someone. Nothing like my friend's bf who ran into Judy twice in a ROW and left her both times though
I’ve had runs with almost all the tier 1 villagers besides Raymond, I only got him cause of a nice person here and gave him to me free of charge, and he was an ungifted one too. Quite a good memory to have whenever I see Raymond going around my island.
IIRC the very first tier 1 villager I met in mystery island was Stitches, then Marshal.
Marina and Zucker pisses me off cause they literally keep on appearing on my hunts.
Met a few popular villagers
Have taken - Bob, Ankha, Molly, Marina, Beau, Wolfgang, Punchy, Goldie
Left - Apollo, Merengue, Lolly, Skye, Roald, Poppy
Zucker also absolutely won't leave me alone. Met him maybe half a dozen times on islands and once in the campsite, but I think he's super gross.
Dom (I ran into him twice - once on each island I have. Took him both times and a permanent resident on my main island)
Pietro (Took him now a permanent resident)
Others I passed over despite popularity:
Bob - He's awesome by my friend has Bob
Zucker- Again my friend has Zucker
Fauna- Didn't want another deer
Apollo- Not a massive fan sorry!
There were several more obviously but don't consider them to be the best...
I have run into...
Erik (took ~dreamie~)
Reneigh (took ~dreamie~)
Sherb (took ~dreamie~)
Fauna (didn't take )
Marina (didn't take because I feel like everyone has either her or Zucker, plus it was early into the hunt)
Merengue (didn't take because she wasn't an ultimate dreamie, and it was early into the hunt)
Audie (took ~dreamie~)
Raymond (took ~dreamie~)
got dom and merengue as random campsite visitors too, lol.
probably a few others I'm definitely not remembering. my luck is cursed (I'm trying to get a village with mostly deer, I have amiibos for a few thankfully)
Marina (moved in)
Tangy (moved in)
Judy (left)
Sherb (left, but later moved him in when he came camping)
Flora (moved in)
Blanche (moved in)
Because I usually have the first "good" (by my standards) villager move in that I run across, I haven't actually done much island hopping. I would estimate that I've only used about 30 tickets looking for villagers.
Raymond (passed, although I stayed on that island for 20 minutes deciding whether to take him or not) Fang (three times, twice in one villager hunting session) Pietro (best friend has him so I get to visit him often on her island) Merengue (having too many normals on my island couldn't take her) Beau (cute but not my dreamie lazy) Roald (cute but wasn't hunting for jock) Snake (really wanted to take him but wasn't hunting for jock! Now I regret it) Fauna (too many normals on my island)
And of course, Octavian once, Marina once and Zucker five times. Not a big fan of octopus so...
I haven’t been island hopping much yet but I found my baby Diana after a few tickets! ;-; as for campsite I had Erik and Judy one after another which was amazing as I love them both sm <3