Random Name Picker

A random name picker you can run in front of the room

Paste a list of names, spin, and one name wins. This random name picker is made for teachers calling on students, team leads deciding who presents first, and anyone running a raffle or prize draw. Because it is a name picker wheel and not a hidden draw, everyone watching can see the names go around and the pointer land on the winner. It is free and there is no account to create.

How to pick a name

1. Open the Entries tab and replace the sample names with your own, one name per line. A column copied from a spreadsheet or class roster pastes in cleanly.
2. Check the entry count under the wheel to confirm nobody is missing.
3. Press Spin in the center, click the wheel, or press Ctrl + Enter.
4. The dialog shows “The winner is” and the name. Choose Done to keep that name on the wheel, Remove it to take it off, or Spin again.

Tidying the list

Three buttons under the text box handle the usual cleanup:

• Remove duplicates keeps the first copy of each name and drops the rest. It ignores capital letters, so “Sam” and “sam” count as one. If two different people share a name, add a last initial first.
• Sort puts the names in alphabetical order so you can scan for anyone missing.
• Shuffle mixes the order of the slices. It does not change anyone’s odds.

Options that matter for a name draw

No repeat winners

Turn on “Remove each winner automatically” in Settings and every picked name leaves the wheel when you close the dialog. When you want the full list back, press the Restore button under the entries. It shows how many names were removed.

Weighted entries

Open “Weights, labels and colors” to see one row per name. Raise a weight to 2 and that person gets a slice twice as wide and twice the chance. This is handy for raffles where some people hold more tickets. The same view lets you set a slice color, move a name up or down, untick a name to sit it out for a round, or delete it.

Rosters from a spreadsheet

Keep the full name in the list and type a short label, such as “Alex B.” for “Alexandra Brooks”, in the “Label on wheel” box. The slice shows the label and the result dialog shows both. Import CSV loads a file with columns for name, weight, color and label, so a class roster saved from a spreadsheet goes straight onto the wheel. Export CSV saves the names on the wheel in the same layout for next term.

A title for the draw

The wheel title field in Settings puts a heading above the wheel, such as “Friday prize draw”. The same text replaces “The winner is” in the result dialog.

Saving and sharing

The wheel autosaves in your browser, so tomorrow’s class starts where today’s ended. Use Saved wheels to keep a named wheel of names for each class or team. The share button gives you a link that carries the names, weights, colors and settings, so a colleague can open the same wheel.

What people use it for

• Classroom cold calls. With automatic removal on, every student gets one turn before anyone gets a second.
• Raffles and giveaways. Spin on a shared screen, then copy the ordered winner list from the Results tab as your record.
• Meeting order. Spin until the wheel is empty and the Results tab becomes the speaking order.
• Chores and turns. Who drives, who washes up, who picks the music.

Is the pick fair?

Every name has an equal chance unless you set weights. The winner is drawn with the browser’s cryptographic random generator before the animation starts, so the spin only reveals a choice that has already been made. Click timing has no effect.

Related tools

To split the whole list into groups, use the random team generator. For a giveaway that runs on Instagram comments, the Instagram comment picker filters entries before the spin.