Wheel of Names — Random Name Picker

How to use the random name picker

Type or paste one name per line into the entries box. The wheel redraws instantly as you type, so you always see exactly what will be picked from. Press the Spin button, tap the wheel, or focus it and press the space bar.

Need a bigger chance for someone? Add a weight after the name, for example "Maya *3". Maya now has three times the chance of a name without a weight. Leave the weight off and every name is equally likely.

Use it for the classroom

Teachers use a name wheel to call on students without playing favourites. Turn on "Remove winner after each spin" and every student gets one turn before anyone repeats. Turn it off for random cold-calling where repeats are fine.

• Choose a reader, line leader or helper of the day
• Randomise presentation order
• Call on volunteers fairly during review games
• Share the permanent link so the same class list loads in one click

Is the name picker really random?

Yes. The winner is chosen with your browser's cryptographic random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues), not Math.random. The animation is drawn after the pick so it lands on the chosen name. Read the full explanation on our fairness page.

Share and save your list

"Copy permanent link" encodes your entries inside the URL itself. There is no server copy that can expire or be deleted, so a link you share today still works next year. We also keep your last list in this browser so it is waiting when you come back.

Step-by-step: pick a winner in under a minute

This is the quickest way to get a fair result, whether you have five names or five hundred.

• Paste or type the names, one per line. Names copied from a spreadsheet column or a class roster work as they are.
• Press Remove duplicates if the same name might appear twice, for example when you merge two sign-up sheets.
• Decide whether winners should leave the wheel. Leave "Remove winner" off if the same person may win more than once.
• Press Spin. The result appears in a pop-up and is added to the Results list under the entries box.
• Copy the permanent link if you want to reuse or share the same list later.

Tips for better results

Short names fit better on the slices. For long names, use first names or initials; the wheel shortens labels that do not fit, but the full name is still what appears in the result. If you have more than 40 entries, a wheel is more entertaining than precise, so consider the full-screen view so everyone can read the slices.

Weights are easy to forget. If you used a weight like "*3" earlier and later copy the list elsewhere, remember the weights travel with the text. Use the Results list to track who has already won when you are drawing several winners without eliminating names.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaving blank lines or stray spaces: the wheel ignores empty lines, but a name with a trailing symbol counts as a different name.
• Adding the same person twice by accident, which doubles their chance. Use Remove duplicates.
• Spinning before the list is final. Changing the list mid-draw makes a result hard to defend if someone asks.
• Using a wheel for a high-value prize without telling entrants how it works. Share the method first.

Example: choosing a reader for story time

A teacher pastes 24 first names and turns on "Remove winner after each spin". Each time a child is picked, the name leaves the wheel, so over a week every child reads once. On Monday the teacher spins the wheel in front of the class; the children can see the result is not a choice. At the end of the cycle, press Reset to start again with the full class.

Last updated 6 October 2026 · Winners are chosen with the browser’s cryptographic random generator. How it works

Frequently asked questions