How do I pick a random winner from a list?

Paste the entries one per line, set how many winners you want, and draw. Every entry has an equal chance, and the seed shown underneath lets anyone reproduce the same draw later.

What is a seed and why does it matter?

It is the starting value of the random generator. Publishing it alongside your entry list turns an unverifiable claim into something anyone can check by reproducing the draw — useful for public giveaways and prize draws.

Is the shuffle actually fair?

Yes. It uses the Fisher–Yates algorithm, which gives every possible ordering exactly the same probability. Naive shuffles that sort by a random comparator do not, and visibly favour some orderings.

How do I split a group into random teams?

Switch to team mode and set the number of groups. Entries are shuffled, then dealt round-robin, so the groups differ by at most one member.

Can I use this for a Secret Santa?

Yes — the pairing mode builds one closed ring of givers and receivers, so everyone gives once, receives once, and nobody draws their own name. Share the seed if you want participants to be able to verify the assignment was not tampered with.

Random Name Picker

Draw winners, shuffle a list or split teams — with a seed you can publish so the result can be checked.

The Random Name Picker runs entirely in your browser. The entries you paste are shuffled on your device and never uploaded.

Open the Random Number Generator

About Random Name Picker

Most name pickers ask you to trust them. This one draws with a seeded generator instead, so a giveaway can be audited: publish the entry list and the seed alongside the winner, and anyone can reproduce the same draw and confirm it. The same seed drives every mode — pick winners with or without replacement, shuffle a list into a running order, deal people into teams as evenly as the numbers allow, or build a Secret Santa ring where nobody draws their own name. Entries are typed or pasted straight in, duplicates can be collapsed, and the odds for each entry are shown so the draw is honest about itself.

Features

Pick one winner or several, with or without replacement
Shuffle a list into a fair random order using Fisher–Yates
Split entries into teams, dealt as evenly as the count allows
Secret Santa ring where nobody is assigned to themselves
Seeded draws that anyone can reproduce from the seed you publish
Optional removal of duplicate entries, case-insensitively
Odds per entry shown alongside the result
Copyable result block with the seed included

How to use the Random Name Picker

Paste or type your entries, one per line
Pick a mode: winners, shuffle, teams or Secret Santa
Press draw again for a new result, or type a seed to repeat an old one
Copy the result — the seed is included so the draw can be checked

Example

Input

8 names · 2 winners · seed "launch-day"

Output

Winners:
1. Katherine Johnson
2. Alan Turing

Seed: launch-day

Anyone with the same list and the same seed gets the same two names — which is what makes a public draw verifiable.

Common errors & troubleshooting

The same name keeps winning. — Check whether repeats are allowed. With replacement switched on an entry can be drawn more than once by design; switch it off for a normal giveaway.
Teams come out uneven. — They are as even as the numbers permit. Seven people into three teams gives 3–2–2, with the extras landing in the earliest groups, which is exactly how captains pick sides.
Someone drew their own name in Secret Santa. — They cannot here. The ring mode shuffles everyone into a single cycle and hands each person the next name along, which makes a self-assignment impossible rather than merely unlikely.

Frequently asked questions

How do I pick a random winner from a list?: Paste the entries one per line, set how many winners you want, and draw. Every entry has an equal chance, and the seed shown underneath lets anyone reproduce the same draw later.
What is a seed and why does it matter?: It is the starting value of the random generator. Publishing it alongside your entry list turns an unverifiable claim into something anyone can check by reproducing the draw — useful for public giveaways and prize draws.
Is the shuffle actually fair?: Yes. It uses the Fisher–Yates algorithm, which gives every possible ordering exactly the same probability. Naive shuffles that sort by a random comparator do not, and visibly favour some orderings.
How do I split a group into random teams?: Switch to team mode and set the number of groups. Entries are shuffled, then dealt round-robin, so the groups differ by at most one member.
Can I use this for a Secret Santa?: Yes — the pairing mode builds one closed ring of givers and receivers, so everyone gives once, receives once, and nobody draws their own name. Share the seed if you want participants to be able to verify the assignment was not tampered with.

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