Random Name Picker
This random name picker selects one name from your list instantly — no spinning wheel, no delay, no upload. Paste names, tasks, or entries one per line (or comma-separated), tap Pick randomly, and the winner appears immediately. Turn on auto-remove to draw again without repeats — built for raffles, Secret Santa, and classroom picks.
How This Random Name Picker Works
- Paste your list into the box — one name per line, or comma-separated if it's all on one line.
- Tap Pick randomly. The winner is chosen using the Web Crypto API and shown large on the result screen.
- Tap Pick another to draw again from the same list, or Remove & pick again to take the current winner out of the pool first.
Fewer than two names? The Pick randomly button stays disabled with a note to add more — there's nothing to pick at random from a single entry.
Picking Names Without a Spinning Wheel
Most random name pickers make you watch a wheel spin down before revealing a result the
tool already knows — the animation adds a wait without adding anything to the outcome. This
one skips it: the name is picked the instant you tap the button, using
crypto.getRandomValues for an unbiased draw rather than a wheel's physics-timer
trick. If you need a name fast — mid-class, mid-meeting, mid-raffle — that's the whole point.
Removing Winners Automatically (No Repeats)
Open Options below the list and turn on Automatically remove winner from list. From then on, every pick drops that name out of the pool, so a Secret Santa draw or a multi-winner raffle never repeats a name across picks. Leave it off and each pick is independent — the same name can come up twice, the way a raffle works when every entry stays in the hat. You can also remove the current winner by hand at any time with Remove & pick again, whether or not auto-remove is on.
Common Uses — Raffles, Secret Santa, and Classroom Picks
Paste a gift-exchange roster and turn on auto-remove for a Secret Santa name picker that never assigns the same person twice. Paste raffle or giveaway entries and tap Pick another or Remove & pick again to draw several free winners from one list. Paste a class roster for a free, repeat-free classroom picker — quick cold-calling with no spinning animation — or just paste any short list — restaurants, chores, movie picks — when you want one option chosen for you instead of arguing it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this random name picker remove winners automatically?
Only if you turn it on. Open Options and enable Automatically remove winner from list, and every name you pick drops out of the pool so it can never come up again — no repeats. Leave it off and picks stay independent, so the same name can be drawn more than once, just like a real raffle where entries go back in the hat.
Can I use it as a free Secret Santa name picker?
Yes. Paste your group's names, turn on Automatically remove winner from list, and pick once per person — each name drawn is removed, so nobody can be picked twice. It's free, needs no account or email sign-up, and the whole list stays in your browser.
Is it a good random name picker for classroom use?
Yes — it's a free classroom picker: paste a class roster and it picks a student in one tap, with no spinning animation to wait out between picks. Turn on auto-remove for cold-calling without repeats across a class period, or leave it off for quick one-off picks like who goes first.
Can it pick multiple winners for a raffle or lucky draw?
Yes, and it's free for as many draws as you need. After the first pick, tap Pick another for a second winner from the same list, or Remove & pick again to draw a new winner while taking the current one out of the running — the way it works for a raffle or lucky draw with several prizes and one entry per person.
Why doesn't this random name picker use a spinning wheel?
Because the spin doesn't decide anything — the winner is already chosen before the animation starts, so it's a delay, not a mechanism. This tool picks instantly using the Web Crypto API and shows the result straight away, which is faster for anyone who just needs a name.
Does this random name picker save or upload my list?
No. The list you paste is read and picked from entirely inside your browser tab — it's never sent to a server, saved to an account, or stored anywhere. Close the tab and it's gone, so paste it fresh each time you open the tool.
