I will describe a few factors that seem to be present in popularity or unpopularity. The element Water seems to be the first factor. The Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Water rules feelings and empathy. A person high in water will be sensitive to others. A person does not need a great deal of water to be sensitive to others, but does need some, in my opinion. If not, one seems to stand, a little outside the group, as a child wanting to play, but not quite knowing how. I think a person needs about 3 -4 major parts of the chart, in water, in order to have enough. Air planets(Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) are, often, popular, particularly Gemini and Libra. I would not put Aquarius, in the mix, as it can be aloof. One must reach out to an Aquarius, in my experience, as they do not tend to be as gregarious as Gemini and Libra. Actually, they seem to need another more extroverted sign to pull them in to the group.
The Fire Signs( Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) are party animals, although I do not see Aries, as a group person, so I would take Aries out. Aries can cause trouble, as it bristles if it does not get it’s way. It wants to be the leader or takes home it’s marbles, in a huff. That leaves Leo and Sagittarius, which are both highly popular signs. Leo is full of fun. His House, the 5th house, is the House of fun, romance, hobbies and creativity. He loves to be the life of the party. However, he is not obnoxious about it such that he turns off other people. He has such a childlike spirit of fun that people forgive him his trespasses. Although, a Leo Ascendent is known to be an unpopular. He loves to hog the spot light. To the Leo Ascendant, there is one topic of interest and it is himself. Others get tired of the topic, as you might imagine. The Leo Ascendant may get shunned and not know why. Sagittarius is very popular, as is Gemini, it’s opposite sign. Sagittarius is very cool. He would be a James Dean type of figure. He may be standing on the sidelines of the dance, with the proverbial cig hanging out of his mouth. The whole party will move to where HE is. He is just that darn cool. Gemini has his own style. His popularity comes from pure fun. He does not care to lead, for ego reasons. He is just so darn much fun that people meander over to see why the whole group laughing. Sagittarius and Gemini are mutable signs. They do not try to be the leader as a Cardinal Sign would. The Cardinal Signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Sagittarius and Gemini become popular, by default. It seems as if they get popular because it doesn’t mean all that much to them. Ah, the complexities of life.