Choose random name

Draw a requested number of non-empty list rows, either independently or without replacing selected rows.

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ToolRandom Name Picker
Input
Output
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Preview

How it works

Blank rows are removed before selection. No-replacement mode applies a Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by rejection-sampled random indexes and takes its leading rows; replacement mode independently indexes the original list for every draw, while an entered seed switches both paths to replayable output.

  • One row without replacement is the default draw, preventing the same list position from being selected twice.
  • Unseeded selection uses Web Crypto, whereas seed text is an explicit reproducibility choice.

Worked example

Pick two of five without replacement
Without replacement, a name can only be picked once
Input
											Names: ["Ana","Ben","Cleo","Dan","Eve"]
Count: 2
With replacement: false
Seed: raffle-1
Output
												Ben
Dan

When to use this

Teachers call on pupils without repeating a row, workshop organisers randomise a submitted speaker order, and automated tests replay a fixed selection during debugging.

Edge cases

  • Two identical name rows remain separate positions and can therefore display the same name twice even without replacement.
  • Replacement mode permits more draws than available rows and may repeat a row on consecutive picks.
  • A seed can be tried repeatedly until a desired result appears, so reproducibility does not make the draw an audited raffle.

References