Random Generators
Random Name Picker - Pick Winners & Raffle Names Online
Pick one or more random names from a list. Supports raffle mode (remove after pick), unique picks, or draws with replacement. Runs entirely in your browser.
8 names loaded.
What is a Random Name Picker?
A random name picker selects one or more names from a list using a fair, unbiased algorithm. Common uses include choosing a raffle winner, picking a student to answer a question, selecting a giveaway recipient, assigning random roles, or making any decision that requires a neutral party.
Raffle mode
Enable Raffle mode to have each picked name removed from the pool. This guarantees every participant can only be selected once, just like drawing names from a hat. When the pool is empty, click Reset pool to start over.
Unique picks vs. allow duplicates
In the default (unique) mode, picking multiple names in a single draw ensures no name appears twice. In Allow duplicates mode, each pick is independent; the same name can appear more than once in a single draw, like rolling a die multiple times.
How random is it?
Every pick uses crypto.getRandomValues(), the browser's cryptographically secure
random number generator. No data leaves your device.
Use case examples
| Use case | Recommended settings |
|---|---|
| Classroom cold-calls | Raffle mode: each student only called once per session |
| Prize raffle / giveaway | Raffle mode: one draw, removed from pool |
| Team assignment | Pick N at once (unique mode) to split a list into groups |
| Restaurant / activity decision | Unique mode, pick 1 from a list of options |
| Secret Santa / gift exchange | Raffle mode: assign each person a recipient |
Weighted picking
Standard random picking treats every name equally (uniform probability). Some use cases benefit from weighted picking, where some names have higher probability of being selected. For example, in a raffle where tickets were sold, a person with 5 tickets should be 5× more likely to be selected than someone with 1 ticket.
To simulate weighted picking with this tool, add a name to the list multiple times - one entry per ticket. Entering "Alice" three times and "Bob" once gives Alice a 75% chance of being picked.