How to use the random name picker
- Paste or type your names into the box, one name per line. Blank lines are skipped and extra spaces are trimmed.
- Check the summary under the box. If it reports duplicates, press Remove duplicates to keep one of each.
- To draw winners, set Number of winners, decide whether the same entry can win more than once, and press Pick winners.
- To make teams, choose Number of teams or People per team, enter the value and press Shuffle into teams.
- Use Copy results to paste the winners or teams elsewhere. Tick Remove picked names from the list to run successive draws.
Fair draws
Every pick uses the secure random generator built into your browser, with rejection sampling so that no position in the list is even slightly favored. With the same entry allowed more than once, each draw is independent. Without repeats, the tool selects distinct positions in the list and shuffles them, so each person is equally likely to be chosen and the order of winners is random too.
Teams are made by shuffling the whole list with an unbiased Fisher-Yates shuffle and dealing the names out in order. Team sizes differ by at most one. Ten people in 3 teams gives teams of 4, 3 and 3. With a team size of 3, ten people need ceil(10 / 3) = 4 teams, which are balanced as 3, 3, 2 and 2 rather than 3, 3, 3 and 1.
Duplicates, blanks and limits
Names are trimmed, and runs of spaces inside a name become a single space. Two entries count as duplicates when they match ignoring capitals, so Ada and ada are the same person. If the list contains the same name twice and you do not remove it, that person has two entries and twice the chance, which is useful for a raffle where someone holds two tickets. The summary shows how many duplicates were found so this is never a surprise.
The list can hold up to 1,000 names, and you can draw up to 1,000 winners at once. Asking for more winners than names without repeats shows an error rather than quietly returning fewer.
Picking in rounds
Turn on Remove picked names from the list and each draw takes the winners out of the box, so the next press of Pick winners chooses from those who remain. That suits prize draws with several rounds and choosing speakers one at a time. With repeats allowed, one list entry is removed for each pick.
Privacy
Your list stays in this browser tab. It is not saved, uploaded or shared, and it is gone when you close or reload the page. Copy anything you want to keep.
Assumptions and limits
- Entries are compared ignoring capitalization to find duplicates, but accents matter: Zoe and Zoë are different names.
- One name per line. A line with a comma is treated as a single name.
- Results are random each time. The same list and settings give different outcomes on each press.
- The tool picks fairly but cannot verify entries. For an official contest, keep your own record of the list and result, and follow local rules.
- Nothing is saved between visits.
Frequently asked questions
Is every name equally likely to be picked?
Yes, as long as each appears once in the list. The tool uses unbiased random selection, so each position has the same chance. A name listed twice has two chances, which the summary points out.
How does it divide people into teams when the numbers do not divide evenly?
Team sizes differ by at most one. Ten people in three teams make teams of 4, 3 and 3. The extra people are spread across the first teams rather than left in one tiny team.
Can the same person win twice?
Only if you tick Allow the same entry to be picked more than once, or the name appears twice in the list. By default each entry can win once per draw.
Does it work for a raffle with hundreds of entries?
It handles up to 1,000 names at once. For a larger raffle, split the list or draw a random number for a ticket position with the random number generator.
How do I tidy a messy list first?
Paste it in and use Remove duplicates. If the names need consistent capitals first, run them through the case converter and paste the result back.