Random Name Picker

How to pick random names from a list

1. Add the names. Type or paste one name per line into Names (one per line). You can also Import a .txt or .csv file, or load Sample names to try the tool.
2. Choose how many. Set How many? to the number of names you need. The picker never draws more names than are left in the hat.
3. Press Pick (or the Space bar). A slip rises out of the hat and the first name appears in large type.
4. Reveal the rest. If you draw several names with Reveal: One by one, the button changes to Reveal next (2 of 5). Press it, or Space, for each name, or choose Reveal all to show them at once.
5. Keep or share the result. Copy puts the names on your clipboard, Download CSV saves rank, name and time, and History keeps your last 50 draws.

When a name picker beats a wheel

A wheel spinner is great for one winner at a time while everyone watches the spin. A name picker is better when:

• You need several people at once. Pick three people to present at the next all-hands, two volunteers for a workshop exercise, or four players for the first game of the evening.
• Your list is long. The picker handles 10,000 names; a wheel gets crowded long before that.
• Nobody should be picked twice. Exclude previous winners keeps track of who has already had a turn, week after week, until you reset it.
• Suspense matters. Revealing names one by one turns a quick draw into a small moment for the room.

Typical uses: choosing who gives the next stand-up update, drawing names for conference tickets, deciding who brings snacks to the club meeting, or picking the order of speakers at a family toast. Some call it a random name selector or name chooser. For groups, the team generator splits the list into teams; for a full order, the list randomizer shuffles it.

Options explained

• How many? — 1 to 100 names per draw, never more than are left.
• Exclude previous winners — on by default: picked names stay out of the hat until you press Reset winners, which leaves your list as it is.
• Reveal — One by one or All at once.
• Animation — Hat, Quick or None. If your device asks for reduced motion, the picker starts with None.

How the random picker draws names

When you press Pick, your browser’s secure random generator (crypto.getRandomValues) chooses all the names of the draw at once, before any animation. Each name still in the hat has exactly the same chance, and rejection sampling avoids the small bias that simple random code can have. The hat animation only reveals names that have already been chosen; it never changes the result. A name listed twice has two tickets, so use Remove duplicates if that isn’t what you want. Press Check fairness under the tool to run 100,000 test picks of your current list.

Running a draw in front of a group

Say what you are drawing for before you press the button, and show the list on screen so everyone can see their name is in it. Present (or F) hides the list and options and fills the screen with the hat and the drawn names, for a projector, a meeting-room TV or a video call. With One by one, press Space for each name and let the room react before the next one. Afterwards, Copy or Download CSV gives you a record of who was picked and when. Once the page has loaded, drawing works offline.

No list yet? Use sample names

Need a name for a character, a test account or a game, or just want to try the tool? Press Sample names to load 200 common first names from many cultures, then press Pick. You’ll be asked before an edited list is replaced, and Clear with Undo brings your own list back. For a gift exchange where nobody draws their own name, use the Secret Santa generator.