Is there an app that randomly picks names?

It's easy: type in your entries in the textbox to the right of the wheel, then click the wheel to spin it and get a random winner. To make the wheel your own by customizing the colors, sounds, and spin time, click

Video reviews and tutorials by users

Use this online name picker to draw a random name from a list of names, or to draw several names randomly out of a list. You can use it for a raffle, team selection, to randomly distribute prizes, etc.

    Using the random name picker

To generate a single random name, start by feeding the tool with a list of names, one name per row (where "one name" can consist of first and last name, etc.). Copy/paste from a spreadsheet works very well. Our random name picker can handle up to 10,000 names. Then simply press the "Pick a Random Name" button and let our randomizer do its job. It's work is equivalent to rolling a dice with as many sides as there are names - each one has an equal probability to be picked.

    How to draw multiple random names

You start in similar fashion to how you would draw one random name from a list, but you need to change the default value of the "Number of names to pick" field from 1 to as many as you'd like to select from the provided list. The maximum names the name picker can pick for you in one go is 1,000.

If you picked a lot of names, don't forget that you can easily select them all (Cltr+A on a PC) and them copy and paste as you wish.

    Is the name picked truly at random?

Our software name picker first assigns incremental integer IDs to each name you enter, then uses a robust random number generator to produce a number in the range from minimum to maximum. The RNG algorithm is cryptographically safe, results in an unbiased pick, and can be used instead of a coin, dice, or another more primitive randomizing device (which might actually be biased due to imperfect construction).

The random selector has been tested statistically through simulations so you can be assured it is doing its job of giving each name an equal chance of being picked on any particular draw from the virtual urn / bag of names.

There are obviously infinitely many situations where having a name draw generator is useful. Here is a list a few common ones.

Selecting prize winners at random

If you run a not-for-profit lottery or a charity raffle, you can feed the names of the participants in the random name picker and draw one or more winners this way. The randomizer will ensure everyone has an equal chance to win.

Picking a team at random

Another common application is when many players need to be randomly distributed across sports teams (or board game / pc game teams, etc.). While our random team generator is the best tool for the job, if there are only two teams to distribute the players among, the picker will also do. Simply enter all names, say 22 for football (soccer), and tell the tool to select 11 names. Those eleven players will comprise one team, while the remaining will make up their opponents.

About Random Name Picker

This Free & ᴇᴀsʏ⁻ᵗᵒ⁻ᵘˢᵉ tool allows you to pick a random name (winner) from a list of names (it supports up to 200k names). You will get the winner instantly after the wheel spinning.

Our unique 3-step client & server side Randomness Process Certification improve your credibility for raffles, contests, drawings, giveaways, and promotions, etc.

FAQ

We have more than 10k names. How many names does this picker support?

Our team ever tested 200k names, which cost the server 10-15 seconds to generate the winner. 100k names will cost 5 seconds. If your list is less than 50k names, it should get the winner instantly.

Is the name picker really random? How does it work?

Yes, it is quite random. It is because we use server-side, not Javascript from users' local computers, to generate the random winner. And with our innovative 3-step Randomness Process Certification, it is almost impossible to change the winner by a person or malicious code.

When you click Pick a Random Name button, the tool will submit all names line by line to our server. Then our server will use Python random module to generate one pseudo-random number between 1 to total names. Then it will choose the name with this random number as a winner.

Why do you think server-side is more random than Javascript?

Both are the same from the technical part - the random function from Python and Javascript both generate pseudo-random numbers.

However, it is a different story on actual real-world operations:

If using random function from Javascript, as the full source codes are stored on users' local computers, it is impossible to prevent a malicious code or any person from doing something to bypass the random function and set a value to the "winner" directly. It can happen in the background process, which other people can not see on the screen. It is something which the developers can not control.

We don't want that somebody use our tool to raffle off a prize, but bypass the random process, and record a video to say, "Hey, we picked a random winner by a tool from miniwebtool.com." So we choose a server-side solution.

By using server-side random function, the only thing that the malicious code or a person can change is the data source. For this situation, you can use our 3-step Randomness Process Certification to prove that the whole process is clean and "random."

What is 3-step Randomness Process Certification? Is there any example for it?

If you use Random Name Picker for raffles, contests, drawings, giveaways, and promotions, etc., you are encouraged to enable 3-step Randomness Process Certification function to improve your credibility.

For example, you use the name picker to raffle off a prize to 99 people from John Doe No. 001 to 099:

The winner is John Doe No. 090, here is Demo of The Server-side Certification Link.

Our server will store a part of the information, including the winner's name (asterisked), total names, timestamp, and a SHA512 hash code.

This is step 1. When you give this link and the full winner name to your attendees, most people will trust that your raffle is random.

However, what if somebody doesn't like the winner, and want to check whether there are many duplicate John Doe No. 090 in your original name list?

In this case, you can go to step 2 to download your client-side certification file to prove that your data source has no error. Here is Demo of The Client-side Certification File link.

Finally, what if another John Doe doubt you have modified the file?

You can let him go to step 3, use our SHA512 Hash Generator to check the downloaded file. The SHA512 hash code should be the same if the file did not be changed.

A person can use a fake screenshot or video to change the winner name from local computers, but can not change the information stored on our server. With the firmly secure SHA512 Hash, It is almost inconceivable that any modified file can pass step 3 verification.

It is the reason that you can gain more credibility using our 3-step randomness process certification.

How much does the certification cost?

The 3-step Randomness Process Certification is totally FREE, like all our tools. We appreciate all the users who helped us to develop our tools all the time. If you think this tool is pretty good, please share this tool with your friends or add a link on your website.

Why don't you host the full information on your server? It seems to be an easier solution for the certification.

Yes, it is easier from technical part but we can not do it due to our privacy policy. We never store any data visitors submit, because the data may contain lots of personal information. We recognize that the privacy of everybody's personal information is essential.

I use Random Name Picker by myself and don't need the certification. How can I do?

Please uncheck 3-step Randomness Process certification when you submit the form. Then you will only see the winner name on the result. By default it is unchecked. And the web page will remember your last check with cookie technique.

When I re-used Random Name Picker, I found it displayed the names I submitted last time. Why?

Some users want to use the picker many times with the same name list; for example, teachers pick up a name from students. So we use the HTML5 Web Storage technique to make their life easier. With web storage, web applications can store data locally within the user's browser. If you use a public computer and do not want your names stored, you can use private or incognito window from your browser or submit another some Meaningless text. (We only use web storage to store the last submitted information.)

Does your tool automatically remove duplicate names?

No, the tool only removes all empty lines. Some users want to use duplicate names to increase somebody's opportunity to win the random game. For example, a teacher may want to give an individual student more chance for an activity or assignment in school classes. We respect users' opinion, so never change the data sources before picking a random winner. If you want to remove duplicate names from your list, you can use our other powerful Remove Duplicate Lines tool.

Is there a mobile app?

This Random Name Picker is designed as a PWA (Progressive Web App). You can install it on your home screen if your device and browser support PWA.

Can I use the tool offline?

Yes. We made an offline version through PWA. Once you install it, you can still launch Random Name Picker from your devices when you are offline. Please note we don't provide certification for the offline version because it is using random function from Javascript, not server-side.

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