Random Name Picker
Add the names, set how many to pick, and press Draw. This random picker takes one name or several from your list: the first name out is the winner and the next ones are alternates, ranked in draw order. Every name has the same chance each time you press Draw: with 30 names that is one in 30.
List options
Use your own seed
The same list, settings and seed always give the same result. A code such as K7Q2-9MXD-4HCZ is read in any case; other text is used exactly as typed.
Ctrl + Enter draws; R draws again when you are not typing.
Result
Paste a list and press Draw. The result appears here, the first name largest.
- Winner Ana
- Alternate 1 Dev
- Alternate 2 Gus
Anyone with the link can see the list. The part after # is not sent to any server.
Recent draws on this device
How do I pick a name in front of a class?
- Paste the names, one per line, or open the register as a .txt or .csv file.
- Set How many to 1 for a single name, or keep 3 to draw a winner with 2 alternates, as in the sample.
- Press Draw. The name resolves on screen large enough to read from the back of the room.
- Press R for the next name. Turn off Animate the draw if you call names often and want them instantly.
The same register can be split into groups for the lesson with the random team generator, and when every pupil needs a question or seat number instead of a name, the number list generator draws them with no repeats.
Winner, then alternates
Drawing several names at once is not the same as drawing several winners at random and sorting them. The names come out one after another, and their order is the ranking. In the sample above, Ana came out first and is the winner; Dev and Gus follow as first and second alternate. If the winner cannot be reached, the prize goes to the next name in that order, which is decided by the same draw and can be checked with the same list, How many set to 3 and the same seed, HX2V-9CDM-F4KR.
Your chances, by list size
Without repeats every name has the same chance each time you press Draw, because the picks are the first steps of a Fisher–Yates shuffle, which makes every order of the list equally likely. The chance that one particular person is among the names picked is simply the number of picks divided by the number of names:
| Names on the list | 1 pick | 2 picks | 3 picks | 5 picks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10.0% | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% |
| 20 | 5.0% | 10.0% | 15.0% | 25.0% |
| 25 | 4.0% | 8.0% | 12.0% | 20.0% |
| 30 | 3.3% | 6.7% | 10.0% | 16.7% |
| 50 | 2.0% | 4.0% | 6.0% | 10.0% |
| 100 | 1.0% | 2.0% | 3.0% | 5.0% |
With repeats allowed, each pick is a fresh draw from the whole list, as in one spin per round of a game. A name can then come up more than once, and the chance of coming up at least once grows more slowly than the number of rounds:
| Names on the list | 1 round | 3 rounds | 5 rounds | 10 rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10.0% | 27.1% | 41.0% | 65.1% |
| 20 | 5.0% | 14.3% | 22.6% | 40.1% |
| 30 | 3.3% | 9.7% | 15.6% | 28.8% |
Running a giveaway draw that holds up
- Close entries and publish the final list of names, so nobody can be added after the draw.
- Optionally announce a seed in advance, such as the date and the name of the giveaway. Type it into Use your own seed; the result is then fixed before anyone sees it.
- Draw on screen or on a stream, then post the share link. Anyone can open it and get the same winner and alternates.
A seed shows that a result can be reproduced; it cannot show that you did not draw several times and keep the one you liked. Announcing the seed first is what closes that gap. The longer explanation is on how the draw works, and if the names sit in a spreadsheet you can also pick at random in Excel.
Questions about picking names
How do I pick a random name from a list?
Paste the names, one per line, set “How many” to 1 and press Draw. To pick several at once, raise the number: the names come out in order, so the first is the winner and the rest are alternates.
How to make a random name picker?
There is nothing to build: paste the names into the picker above and press Draw. Inside a spreadsheet, with the names in A2:A20, =INDEX(A2:A20, RANDBETWEEN(1, ROWS(A2:A20))) returns one random name in Excel or Google Sheets and picks again whenever the sheet recalculates. A formula keeps no seed, so nobody else can replay the pick.
Can the same name be picked twice?
Not by default: each name can come out once per draw. Turn on repeats when every pick should be independent, for example one spin per round, and the tool shows how many times each name came up.
What are the chances of being picked?
Without repeats, picking 3 names from 30 gives each person a 3 in 30 chance, or 10%. With repeats, the chance of coming up at least once in 5 picks from 30 names is 1 − (29/30)⁵, about 15.6%.
How do I run a giveaway draw people can check?
Publish the final list of entries before the draw, then draw and post the share link or the seed. Anyone can replay the draw and get the same winner. Announcing your own seed in advance goes further, because the result is then fixed before anyone sees it. A seed shows that a result is reproducible; it cannot prove the draw was not repeated.