Education Tools
Random Name Picker
Random Name Picker is part of Toolspire and is ready as soon as this page loads. Paste a list of names and spin the wheel to pick a student, a winner or a turn order — fairly, with no repeats if you like, or split everyone into random groups. Full screen for the class projector.
On this page
What you can do here
Fair every time
The winner is drawn with cryptographic randomness before the wheel stops — not by how the animation happens to land.
For the classroom
Choose who answers next, assign roles or decide presentation order — on the projector in full screen.
Giveaways and draws
Paste the entrant names, pick several winners at once and copy the results.
No repeats
Remove picked names to give everyone a turn, then put them all back with one click.
Random teams
Make balanced groups for projects and games in seconds, and shuffle again if needed.
Private
Students’ names are not sent to us, and no account is needed.
The sequence
How to pick a random name
- 1
Add the names
Type or paste the names, one per line, or open a list file.
- 2
Set the options
Choose how many names to pick per spin, and turn on Remove picked names if no one should be picked twice.
- 3
Spin
Click Spin. The winner is shown when the wheel stops.
- 4
Groups (optional)
Switch to Make groups, choose the number of groups or people per group, and click Make groups.
Worth knowing
- Random Name Picker on Toolspire: spin a wheel of up to hundreds of names; the pointer stops on a winner chosen fairly with your device’s secure random generator — every name has the same chance.
- Pick one or several names per spin, and remove picked names so nobody is chosen twice until everyone has had a turn.
- Make groups: split the list into a number of groups or groups of a set size, as even as possible.
- Paste names one per line or comma-separated, or open a .txt/.csv list; duplicates can be ignored.
- Quick, normal or suspenseful spins with ticking sound and confetti, a full-screen view for projectors, and a history of picks.
- Your list stays in this tab; it is saved on your device only if you turn on “Remember this list”.
Is the wheel really random?
Yes. The winner is chosen with your browser’s cryptographically secure random number generator, using a method that gives every name exactly the same chance; the wheel then spins to that name. Animation speed or where you click makes no difference.
With Remove picked names on, each name is picked once before anyone is picked again — like drawing names from a hat without putting them back.
Ideas for teachers
Pick who answers a question, who reads next or who presents first. Make random groups for activities, then print a practice sheet for each group with the Worksheet Generator.
FAQ
Questions about Random Name Picker
Where does Random Name Picker run?
How do I pick a random name from a list?
Can it pick more than one winner?
How do I stop the same name being picked twice?
Can it make random teams or groups?
How many names can I add?
Are the names saved or uploaded?
Keep going
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