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Random Name Picker

Enter names and pick winners with a rock-paper-scissors tournament. Keep drawing more people afterwards.

Writing the same name twice counts as two people. If two people share a name, add A, B or a number after it to tell them apart.

    The names you enter are saved only in your browser on this device, so they are still there next time. They are never sent to a server.

    Wheel SpinnerEnter your items and spin the wheel to pick one. You can set how likely each item is, too.
    Ladder Game (Amidakuji)Enter the players and the outcomes, and it draws a ladder. Click a name to see where that person ends up.
    Team SplitterEnter a list of names and split them into fair, random teams.
    Random Order PickerShuffle a list of names to decide who goes first, second and so on.
    Dice RollerRoll colorful 3D dice and see them tumble, with the total worked out for you.

    How to use

    1. Enter the participants' names, one per line. You can also join them with commas and each one is split out as a person.
    2. In "People to draw each time", enter how many people to pick this round. You can draw one at a time over many rounds, or three at once.
    3. Click "Draw with rock-paper-scissors" and each participant shows a hand; they play rock-paper-scissors in pairs. The winners move on to the next round, and when only the number you chose is left they are shown as the people picked. The results pile up in a format like "Round 1: Ann, Ben" and also appear in the message above. If you do not want to wait, click "Skip" to see the result right away.
    4. Click draw again and the next people are picked from everyone who has not been picked. "People left" shows how many are still waiting to be picked.
    5. To start over, click "Start over". The round history is cleared, and the next draw starts from the names in the box at that moment.

    About Random Name Picker

    This tool is for picking a few from many: prize draws, choosing presenters, deciding chores or errands, or picking the star of the night at a dinner. Anyone who has been picked is removed from the next round's candidates, so the same person is never picked twice. It is handy for drawing first, second and third prize one after another.

    The way it picks is a real rock-paper-scissors tournament. Participants are paired up at random, the loser is out, and the winner moves on to the next round. A tie makes only that pair play again. Someone left without a partner because the number is odd gets a bye and rests, and only as many matches are played as needed so exactly the number to be picked is left. The order of pairing and the hand thrown each time are decided by your browser's random number generator (crypto based), so nobody can know in advance who throws what, and everyone has the same chance of being picked. It is a tool for fun and everyday decisions, though. For an official drawing with prizes or money at stake, run it in front of the participants and check the result together.

    If you edit the names in the box while drawing, the list in progress does not change. The draw continues from the list as it was when you pressed the first draw, and if you edit names after starting, a message tells you so. To draw from the edited list, click "Start over". The list is shared by the wheel, the team splitter, the order picker and the name picker, so another tool's page opened later contains the same names. A line written like "Pizza:3" in the wheel is drawn here as one participant called "Pizza:3", so remove the ":3" before you start.

    Draw results and the round history are not saved, so they disappear when you refresh the page. If you enter a bad number of people to draw before the first draw, such as 0 or a decimal, you only get a message and the list is not fixed yet. Editing names in that time is still picked up, because the list is decided at the moment the first draw actually happens.

    Frequently asked questions

    What if people keep tying?

    Only the tied pair plays again. Other pairs whose result is already decided just wait, so even if one match goes long, nobody else's result changes.

    Does it take long with many participants?

    Several pairs play at the same time and each round roughly halves the number of people, so picking 1 out of 12 takes only four rounds. If you do not want to wait, click "Skip" to see the result right away. The result is the same.

    Can I turn off the sound?

    Turn off "Sound effects on" and both the hand-waving sound and the result sound are gone. This choice shares one setting with the wheel and the dice.

    Can the same person be picked twice?

    No. Once someone is picked, they are not picked again until you press "Start over". The exception is a name written twice in the list, which counts as two people who can each be picked separately.

    What if I draw more people than are left?

    Everyone who is left is picked and it ends. A message tells you how many were picked, and if you press draw again after that, you are told that everyone has been picked.

    What do I do after everyone has been picked?

    Press "Start over" and the round history is cleared so you can draw from the full list again. If you leave the names as they are, it starts again with the same list.

    What if I add or remove names in the middle of a draw?

    The draw in progress does not pick up the change right away. A message appears in the result area, and when you need a new list, press "Start over". The round history already recorded is cleared with it.

    Can I copy the list of people picked?

    Yes. Once you have drawn at least once, a copy button appears under the result. It copies the rounds so far, one per line like "Round 1: Ann, Ben", and the button text briefly changes to "Copied". Paste it into a group chat to keep the result.

    How do I tell two people with the same name apart?

    Add a mark such as A, B or the last digits of an ID after the name. The same name entered twice counts as two separate people who can each be picked.