Random name picker
Type or paste one name per line, say how many to pick and press Pick. Winners are chosen with a fair shuffle.
Free · no signup Runs in your browser
How do I pick a random name from a list?
Paste your names with one on each line, choose how many winners you want and press Pick. The tool shuffles the list with an unbiased method and takes the first names, so every name has the same chance and no one is picked twice in the same draw. Tick remove winners to take them off the list for the next draw, which is how a prize draw with several prizes works.
A fair way to choose
The draw uses a Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by the browser's secure random generator. That matters because a popular shortcut, sorting the list by a random number, is subtly biased in many browsers, and a pick based on a clock reading can be gamed. With a proper shuffle each of the possible orderings of the list is equally likely, so each name has an equal chance of being first, and each pair, trio and so on is equally likely to be chosen together.
The list stays on your device. It is not sent anywhere or saved, which matters when the names are students, customers, staff or contest entrants.
It runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere, and there is no sign-up.
Prize draws and classroom use
For a prize draw with several prizes, set the number of winners to the number of prizes and keep the default of no repeats, so one entrant cannot win twice. To run draws one at a time, pick one winner and tick remove winners; the next pick is made from those who remain. If an entry should count more than once, for example one entry per ticket purchased, type that name on as many lines as the entry count. Keep a screenshot of the list and the result if the draw must be shown to be fair.
Contest rules in Canada, including skill-testing questions for prize competitions, are set by law and by the organizer's terms; a random picker does not replace them.
When to use it
- Prize draws and giveaways
- Choosing a student to answer or a volunteer
- Deciding who goes first or who pays
- Assigning tasks fairly in a group
Mistakes it helps you avoid
- Sorting a list by a random number, which is not a fair shuffle.
- Letting the same entry win twice when it should not.
- Leaving a name on the list after it has won.
- Picking by a gut feeling and calling it random.
The formula
How the answer is worked out.
1. Read the list, one name per line, ignoring blank lines.2. Shuffle it with Fisher–Yates: for each position from the end, swap with a randomly chosen earlier position.3. Take the first n names as the winners.4. Optionally remove the winners from the list.
Each of the n! orderings of a list of n names is equally likely, so each name has a 1 in n chance of being first. Random indices are drawn with rejection sampling to avoid modulo bias. If you allow repeats, each pick is an independent draw from the whole list.
Example: three prizes among ten names
Ten people entered a draw for three prizes.
- List10 names, one per line
- Winners3, no repeats
Three different names, in the order drawn
Each person has a 3 in 10 chance of winning one of the prizes.
Terms on this page
- Fisher–Yates shuffle
- An unbiased method of putting a list in random order.
Common questions
Is the name picker fair?
Yes. It uses an unbiased shuffle and the browser's secure random generator.
Can the same name win twice?
Not in one draw unless you allow repeats.
Is my list saved or uploaded?
No. It stays in your browser.
Can I give someone more chances?
Yes: add their name on several lines.
Does this replace contest rules?
No. Prize contests have legal rules that the organizer must follow.
Is anything I enter sent to a server?
No. The calculation happens in your browser and nothing you type leaves your device.
Where these numbers come from
- Wikipedia — Fisher–Yates shuffle The unbiased shuffle used, and why a naive sort-based shuffle is biased.
- MDN Web Docs — Crypto.getRandomValues() The browser's cryptographically strong random number source used by these tools.
Last verified 2026-10-25 The method on this page is checked against the sources above at least once a year. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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