Random Name Picker
Spin the wheel for one winner, or draw several winners at once without repeats -- switch to plain list mode for a roster too big for one wheel.
Two draw methods, one fair engine underneath
The wheel mode draws one winning index with an unbiased randomInt, exactly like the Yes or No Wheel. The list mode draws N winners at once with a Fisher-Yates shuffle truncated to N -- the standard, provably-unbiased way to take a random sample without replacement, used for anything from picking a raffle winner to dealing cards.
Worked example
The tool's own default roster -- Avery, Blair, Casey, Dakota, Elliot, Finley, Harper, Jordan (8 names) -- with 3 winners drawn without repeats, using a fixed illustrative seed (your real draws above use live randomness):
| Place | Name |
|---|---|
| 1st | Dakota |
| 2nd | Elliot |
| 3rd | Finley |
Each of the 8 names started with an equal 1 in 8 chance at first place; once drawn, a name is removed from contention for the remaining places, exactly as a real raffle or class-call roster works.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from just spinning the general Wheel Spinner with names typed in?
Nothing stops you from doing that -- this page is the same underlying engine, preset for the classroom-call and raffle use case with two extras the general wheel doesn't have: a pick-N-winners-without-repeats mode, and a plain list-draw mode that skips the wheel visual entirely for a roster too large to letter clearly.
How does "without repeats" work?
It's a full Fisher-Yates shuffle of the name list, truncated to however many winners you asked for -- the only common shuffle algorithm that gives every possible order exactly equal probability. That guarantees no name can be drawn twice in the same batch, and every remaining name has an equal chance at every position.
Is it fair for a raffle with a prize on the line?
Yes -- winners are drawn with crypto.getRandomValues through the same unbiased engine as every other tool on this site, not Math.random() and not a shortcut that could favor names earlier or later in your list.
My class list has 40+ students -- what should I use?
Switch to list-draw mode. A wheel with dozens of thin slices is hard to read and slow to animate meaningfully; the list mode runs the identical fair draw and just shows the result as text, which is both clearer and faster for cold-calling through a big roster.
Can two people get the same shared wheel link?
Not on this page specifically -- sharing a link is a Wheel Spinner feature. If you want a shareable custom list, build it on the Wheel Spinner page instead; this page's list is remembered locally in your own browser only.
Every result here is drawn live in your browser with cryptographically-secure randomness -- nothing is predetermined, saved, or replayable. See the Terms.