A random name picker for classrooms and groups
This random name picker chooses names from your list, fairly and in a second. Teachers use it to call on students, group leaders use it to find a volunteer, and organizers use it to draw raffle winners. Paste the names, press the button, and a big reel rolls like a slot machine before it lands on the picked name. It is free, there is no account, and it works in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
How the random name selector works
- Your list. Type or paste names in the box, one per line. The list is saved in your browser, so your class is still there tomorrow on the same device.
- How many names. The sentence above the button reads “Pick one name”. Tap the number to change it to 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 names. When you pick several, they are drawn without repeats and shown as a list.
- The reel. Names roll past in the middle of the screen, slow down, and stop on the result. Press the Space bar to pick without reaching for the mouse.
- Remove picked names. Turn on this switch in the bottom bar, and each picked name leaves the pool, so nobody is picked twice. Press Reset to put everyone back.
- Results. The history keeps the names picked since you opened the page, so you can check who already had a turn.
- Full screen. The full screen button in the header makes the reel big enough for a classroom board or a projector. The round button at the bottom right changes the page color, and the Sound button turns the sounds off.
Ways to use it
Cold calling in class
Many teachers like calling on students at random because it keeps everyone ready to answer, not just the same few hands. Put the class list on the board in full screen, turn on Remove picked names, and every student gets a turn before anyone gets a second one. When the list runs out, press Reset for the next round.
Choosing a volunteer
Who reads first, who hands out the papers, who leads the warm-up. A visible random pick feels fairer than the teacher choosing, and students can see that nobody was singled out.
Raffles and prize draws
Enter each participant once, set the picker to the number of prizes, and draw them all in one go. Since several names are drawn without repeats, nobody can win two prizes in the same draw. To keep the draw transparent, show the screen to the room.
Order of presentations
Pick names one at a time with Remove picked names on, and write down the order as you go. Or pick all of them at once, if your group has 10 people or fewer. For a full random order of a long list, the list randomizer shuffles everything in one step.
Is it fair? The simple math
The picker uses your browser's cryptographic random generator, the same kind of source used for security. Every name in the pool has the same chance on every pick. With 25 students and one pick, each student has a 1 in 25 chance, or 4%.
When you pick several names at once, the chance for one person to be among them grows with the number of picks:
| Names picked from a class of 25 | Chance a given student is picked |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 in 25 (4%) |
| 2 | 2 in 25 (8%) |
| 3 | 3 in 25 (12%) |
| 5 | 5 in 25 (20%) |
| 10 | 10 in 25 (40%) |
With Remove picked names off, every pick starts fresh. The same name can come up twice in a row, and that is just how true randomness works. If that would upset your class, turn the switch on. Then 25 picks cover all 25 students exactly once.
Picker, wheel or teams?
The name picker is quick and works well with long lists. If your group loves the suspense of a spinning wheel, put the same names on the wheel of names. To split everyone into groups instead of picking a few, use the random team generator.
Your names never leave your device. The list is saved only in your own browser, nothing is sent to a server, and the picker works offline once the page has loaded. That matters when the list is a class of children.