Random Name Picker
Paste your list to pick a winner, call on a student, shuffle participants or form balanced groups. Your list stays in this browser.
Choose your options, then generate your first results.
Current draw probabilities
Probabilities apply to the next draw. Winners are selected without replacement within each batch. Weights do not affect shuffling or groups.
No previous results yet.
Try a sample list
These fictional lists load the corresponding selection mode.
How to use this tool
A name picker selects from the participants you supply. It does not invent people. Equal-weight mode gives every eligible participant the same probability on the next draw.
Step by step
- Paste one name per line or import a TXT or CSV file.
- Choose one winner, several winners, a shuffled list or balanced groups.
- Draw, review the results, and optionally remove winners or save your list to this device.
What the options change
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Duplicates | By default, normalized duplicate names are merged. Extra-ticket mode adds their weights to the same participant, so multi-winner draws still select distinct people. Use distinct labels for different people with the same name. |
| Weights | Advanced mode reads name,weight rows with integers from 1 to 100. The next-draw probability is participant weight divided by total eligible weight. |
| Groups | Grouping shuffles all eligible participants uniformly and distributes them across groups. Group sizes differ by at most one; weights are ignored. |
| Wheel | Single draws with at most 100 eligible participants can use the wheel. Larger lists and other operations use quick results. |
Data and limits
The CSPRNG selects the winner before the display animation. A browser-based local draw is not an independently certified raffle. Up to 10,000 input rows are supported. CSV exports protect spreadsheet cells from formula interpretation; imports accept a name column and optional weight column.
FAQ
4 questions people ask most. Anything else, write to [email protected]
How does random name selection work?
The tool uses crypto.getRandomValues with rejection sampling. Equal weights give equal next-draw chances; weighted mode uses the displayed participant weights.
Can one person win twice in the same draw?
No. A multi-winner draw samples distinct normalized participant names without replacement. Extra duplicate tickets increase a person’s probability, not the number of times they can win in the same batch.
Can I import a spreadsheet list?
Yes. Export your sheet as CSV and import a name column with an optional weight column. TXT files use one name per line. All files are processed locally.
Will my list be saved automatically?
No. The list stays in the current page session. Save to this device explicitly stores only the list and its duplicate/weight settings; draw history is not saved.