Nah, the standard of the world is GS. No1 ever did so much different *work*, and started it all, for a century, now! I bet if all the plain #s were counted up, GS would be the "most popular" in the entire world. ;-)
Actually it's not just my anathema to "popularity". It's partly my viewpoint on general behavior characteristics. My own view is that Goldens in particular are too goofy. I like dogs that can be playful & happy yet are serious & mature. Good-natured adult-like, not perpetual goofball children. That's my view of most Goldens that I've known of (which isn't saying much, but hey, most people here in truth know little about any given dog, either). Labs can be that way, but frankly I've also seen more serious Labs, so I rate them higher.
Between the goofiness and the popularity, I guess I just can't get much into the popular retrievers!
It's all preferences... You like action movies or comedies or fantasies? Or maybe a little of each?
You know me... I love shepherds too. And I've been mostly taking in stray mutts of late ;~D