Random Name Picker
Paste a list of names and draw one or more random winners, with duplicates ignored and winners removed if you like. Fair, private and saved locally.
Your list is saved in this browser only.
Winners
Previous draws
How to use the random name picker
- Paste or type the list in Names (one per line). You can copy a column straight from a spreadsheet: each row becomes one name, and empty lines are ignored. The counter below the box shows how many names are in the draw.
- Set the Number of winners. If you ask for more winners than there are names, everyone is drawn and a message tells you so.
- Keep Ignore duplicate names ticked to count each name once, even if it appears several times or with different capitalization (“Anna” and “anna”). Untick it if repeated entries are meant as extra chances.
- Tick Remove winners from the list after the draw if the same person must not win twice across several draws.
- Press Draw. The names shuffle on screen for about two seconds, then the winners appear in large type and in the numbered Winners list, in the order they were drawn. Use Copy to copy them, one per line.
Each draw is also added to Previous draws, so you can keep track of a series of prizes or rounds. Clear history empties it.
A fair draw
The winners are chosen the moment you press Draw, using the cryptographic random number generator built into your browser (the Web Crypto API). The tool uses a partial Fisher–Yates shuffle with unbiased rejection sampling, so every name has exactly the same chance of winning, and when you draw several winners every possible group of winners is equally likely. The same person can never be drawn twice in a single draw.
The animation is only a show: the names flashing on screen are picked at random for display, and they do not affect the result. If your device asks for reduced motion (an accessibility setting in iOS, macOS, Android and Windows), the animation is skipped and the winners appear immediately. Results are also announced to screen readers.
The order of the winners is random too. If you draw three winners for first, second and third prize, you can simply award the prizes in the order shown.
Where it helps
- Teachers: pick a student to answer a question, choose helpers for the week, or call students in random order for presentations with Remove winners from the list after the draw ticked.
- Giveaways and raffles: paste the list of participants, set the number of prizes and draw once. If a winner does not respond, draw again with that name removed.
- Teams and meetings: choose who presents first, who takes the notes or who reviews the next pull request.
- Secret gift draws and games: pick a random player to start or a random volunteer.
For official contests, keep your own record: the tool stores nothing about the draw, so a screen recording is the simplest proof.
Privacy: your list stays on this device
The names never leave your browser. The list is saved in your browser’s local storage so it is still there when you come back on the same device and browser; the history of draws is not saved. To erase the list, empty the box or clear this site’s data in your browser settings.
Frequently asked questions
Is this name picker truly random?
It uses cryptographically secure randomness, the same kind used for encryption keys, with no modulo bias. Every name has the same probability of being picked, whatever its position in the list.
Can I give someone more than one entry?
Yes. Untick Ignore duplicate names and list that person several times. A name that appears three times has three times the chance of being drawn, but can still only win once per draw.
How many names can I use?
Up to 10,000 names. Long lists work fine; the draw is instant, and only the animation is for show.
What happens to removed winners?
When Remove winners from the list after the draw is ticked, the winners’ lines are deleted from the box (all copies of a name if duplicates are ignored), and the updated list is saved. The Previous draws history still shows who won.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, drawing names needs no connection.
Related tools
- Wheel Spinner Spin a custom wheel to pick a name, a prize or a decision. Fair crypto randomness, remove the winner after each spin, and your list is saved locally.
- Random Number Generator Generate random numbers in any range, from 1 to 10,000 at a time, as integers or decimals, with or without duplicates, using secure browser randomness.