Random name picker with wheel and teams

How to pick a random name online

1. Paste the list of participants into the box, one name per line or separated by commas. A column copied from Excel or Google Sheets works as it is.
2. Enter the number of winners.
3. Click “Pick winners”: the winners appear in the order they were drawn, with the date and time.

Duplicates are removed automatically: a name written twice, even with different capitals, only counts once. Untick “Remove duplicates” if each line is one entry, for example when someone bought several raffle tickets. The “Copy result” button copies the winners so you can send or post them.

The wheel spinner

The “Wheel spinner” tab puts the names on a colorful wheel. Click “Spin the wheel”, or the wheel itself: it spins for a few seconds and stops on the winner, under the arrow. The “Remove from the wheel” button takes the winning name off so you can spin again with the names that are left, which is handy for giving out several prizes one after another.

The wheel holds up to 200 names; for longer lists, use the “Pick names” tab. The winner is chosen the moment you click, with the same randomness as the other tabs: the animation only reveals it.

Random team generator

Choose a number of teams, or a number of people per team, then click “Make teams”. The tool shuffles the list and deals the names out in turn, so every team has the same number of people, give or take one. For example, 10 people in teams of 4 gives 3 teams, one of 4 and two of 3, rather than 4, 4 and 2.

It works for a pickup game, a tournament, group work in class or tables at an event.

Random number generator

The “Random number” tab picks one or more whole numbers between two limits, from -1 billion to 1 billion, up to 1,000 numbers at a time. Tick “No repeats” so that no number comes up twice, as with raffle tickets or lottery numbers. The shortcuts set up common draws:

• 1 to 10 and 1 to 100: pick a number for a game or choose a ticket;
• One die, two dice: a roll of a six-sided die. With two dice the total is shown; 7 is the most likely total, one roll in six;
• 6 numbers from 49: a random lotto line, sorted in order. For Powerball, pick 5 numbers from 1 to 69 with no repeats, then 1 number from 1 to 26.

Is it really random?

The randomness comes from your browser’s crypto.getRandomValues function, the one used to create encryption keys, which is far less predictable than the everyday randomness of most programs. The tool turns it into a number without bias: when a value falls in the small range that would favor some names, it is thrown away and drawn again. For several winners or for teams, it shuffles the list with the Fisher-Yates method, which gives every possible order the same probability.

We checked it on thousands of draws: over 6,000 draws of one winner among 5 names, each name won between 1,150 and 1,250 times, for 1,200 expected, which is normal variation for chance. The draw happens on your device and nothing is sent: Nation never sees the list or the result.

Running a giveaway on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok

1. Collect the entries: copy the usernames of the people who met the conditions, one per line.
2. Leave “Remove duplicates” ticked if the rules allow one entry per person; untick it if every comment counts.
3. Pick the number of winners you announced, plus one or two alternates in case a winner does not reply: the ranking gives the order.
4. Take a screenshot or a screen recording of the draw: the date and time appear under the result.

The tool does not connect to your accounts and does not read the comments itself: you paste the list. For prizes of real value, check the rules that apply where you run the giveaway, and consider having the draw witnessed.

In the classroom or at work

• call on a student at random, without favorites;
• set the order of presentations or oral exams with “Draw the whole list”;
• make balanced groups for teamwork in one click;
• decide who speaks first in a meeting.

The list stays saved in your browser, so you find it again on your next visit from the same device. “Clear the list” deletes it.

What are the odds of winning?

In a fair draw, each participant’s chance of winning is the number of prizes divided by the number of participants. With 3 prizes for 120 participants, everyone has 3 chances in 120, or 2.5%.

More free tools

• the AI lottery number generator creates random lines and shows the real odds of each game;
• the percentage calculator works out a share, an increase or a decrease in one click;
• the username generator suggests original names, for a player or a team.