About the Random Name Picker
Pick a random name from a list for a classroom question, a giveaway winner or whose turn it is. Paste the names, one per line, and pick one, pick several without repeats, put the whole list in random order or split it into fair teams.
Everything runs in your browser and uses its cryptographic random number generator, so no one, including us, can see or steer the result.
How it works
Choosing uses the Fisher–Yates method, the standard way to shuffle: it walks through the list and swaps each position with a randomly chosen one from the part not yet fixed. When each choice is uniform, every possible order is exactly equally likely; the tests check this by listing every outcome for lists of up to six names.
Each choice needs a random whole number below a limit, such as 0 to 7 for eight names. Squeezing a large random number into a small range can make some results slightly more likely (called modulo bias). The picker avoids it by throwing away the few random numbers that would cause it and drawing again.
Teams are made by shuffling the list and dealing names out like cards, one to each team in turn, so team sizes never differ by more than one.
Assumptions and limits
- A name that appears twice in the list has two chances. The page tells you when there are repeats.
- 'Remove picked names' takes winners out of the list so the next round can't choose them again.
- Lists are kept only on this page; nothing is saved or uploaded.
Worked examples
Calling on a student
Paste the class list once, tick 'Remove picked names', and tap Pick each time. Every student is called before anyone is called twice.
Three giveaway winners
Paste the entrants, choose 'Pick several' and enter 3. The three winners are distinct and listed in the order drawn, which you can use for first, second and third prize.
Five-a-side from eleven players
Choose 'Make teams' with 2 teams: the result is one team of six and one of five, chosen at random.
How to use the Random Name Picker
- Add the names. One per line, or comma-separated on a single line.
- Choose what to do. Pick one, pick several, random order or teams.
- Pick and copy. Copy the result to paste into a chat or document.
Frequently asked questions
Is the random name picker fair?
Yes. Every name in the list has the same chance, every order is equally likely when shuffling, and the random numbers come from your browser's cryptographic generator rather than a predictable formula.
Can the same name be picked twice?
Not within one pick: 'Pick several' always returns different entries. Between separate picks a name can come up again unless you tick 'Remove picked names', which takes winners out of the list.
How are teams made fair?
The list is shuffled at random, then names are dealt out one at a time to each team in turn. Teams therefore differ in size by at most one person, and who ends up together is entirely random.
Can I prove the draw wasn't rigged?
Run it on a shared screen so everyone sees the list and the pick happen. The page doesn't store or send anything, and the code uses a standard, published shuffling method.
How many names can I use?
Thousands work fine on a normal phone or laptop. Very long lists only slow down the scrolling, not the picking, because each pick takes a fraction of a millisecond.
Sources
- Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming, vol. 2, §3.4.2 (Algorithm P: shuffling)
- W3C Web Cryptography API: getRandomValues
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter or upload stays on your device and is never sent to our servers.