Random Name Picker

A fair random name picker

Whether you are choosing a giveaway winner, deciding who presents first or splitting a class into groups, you want a draw that is quick and visibly fair. This random name picker takes any list of names or items and selects the number you ask for, using the browser's cryptographically secure random generator, so every entry has exactly the same chance.

How it works

Each non-empty line becomes one entry; extra spaces around names are trimmed. With the unique option on (the default), the list is shuffled with the Fisher–Yates algorithm and the first names are taken, which is equivalent to drawing slips from a hat without putting them back. With unique off, each pick is independent and the same name may be drawn more than once, like spinning a wheel several times.

Example

Input:          Output (pick 3):
Alice           Grace
Bob             Bob
Carol           Emma
David
Emma
Frank
Grace
Henry

The status line confirms how many names were picked out of how many entries, for example "Picked 3 of 8".

Ideas for using it

• Giveaways and raffles – paste the entrant list exported from your form or social post and draw the winners.
• Classrooms – pick who answers next, or draw the whole class to create a presentation order.
• Teams – draw all names, then split the list into groups of the size you need.
• Meetings – choose who runs the next stand-up or retrospective.
• Decisions – list restaurants, movies or tasks and let chance decide.

Tips for a fair draw

• Remove duplicate entries first unless people are allowed several entries. The remove duplicate lines tool cleans a list in one click.
• Weighting – if someone has earned two entries, list their name twice. Duplicated entries are separate tickets, so the same name can then be drawn twice in one draw; decide in advance whether a second win counts.
• Transparency – share your screen or record the draw when prizes are involved, because each run produces a different result.
• Numbered tickets – if entries are ticket numbers rather than names, the random integer range generator draws from a numeric range directly.

Running a giveaway draw

1. Export the entries and remove any that break the rules, such as late or ineligible entries.
2. Remove accidental duplicates, unless extra entries are allowed.
3. Pick more names than you have prizes, with No repeats on. The first names win; the rest, in order, are alternates if a winner does not respond.
4. Keep a screenshot or recording of the result, since a new draw gives a different order.

Privacy

Your list never leaves your browser. The draw happens locally, so participant names are not uploaded, logged or stored.