How it works
This random name picker shows one student at a time. A name that has been picked leaves the draw, so nobody is called twice until everyone has had a turn. Show the pick on a plain card or spin a wheel, and copy the order. Names stay in this browser.
Read the full guide
No repeats until everyone has had a turn
Most pickers draw from the full list every time, so in a class of 30 one student can be called three times before another is called once. This one works in rounds. Each pick comes from the students who have not gone yet, the line under the name reads something like 7 of 30 picked, 23 to go, and the Already picked list grows beneath it. When the last name is drawn the page says everyone has had a turn. The round is kept for each class in this browser, so you can carry on tomorrow where you stopped.
Card or wheel
Card shows the name at once, which is the quickest way to cold call during a lesson. Switch to Wheel and it becomes a name selector wheel: the names still in the draw are the slices, the wheel turns for about 4 seconds, and the winner leaves the wheel afterward. The wheel is for show. The name is chosen first, fairly, and the wheel is then turned to land on it. In Wheel view the button reads Spin the wheel. Press it again to skip the spin. Slices keep their labels up to about 44 names, and the card under the wheel always gives the name in full.
Put back, start over and copy the order
After a pick, a button such as Put Elena back returns that name to the draw, for the student who is out of the room or has just answered. Start over clears the round, with an Undo in case you pressed it by mistake. Copy the order puts the numbered list of picks on the clipboard, and Print the order gives the same list on Letter or A4. Keep picking until everyone has gone and that list is a random order of the whole class, ready for presentations, show and tell, or the lunch line.
- Press the space bar to pick. You can stand away from the laptop with a wireless keyboard and keep your eyes on the class. On a phone or a touch board, tap Pick a name.
- The list does not have to be people. Paste review topics, table numbers or reward choices, one per line, and use it as a classroom randomizer.
- Ask first, pick second. When the question comes before the name, the whole class has to think about it, because anyone could be next.
- The class you save here is the one the seating chart generator and the group generator open with.
Questions and answers
Is the pick really random and fair?
Yes. Every student who has not gone yet has the same chance on each pick, and the order of your list makes no difference. Over a full round the picker is fairer than a plain draw, because everyone is called exactly once. In Wheel view the result is decided before the wheel moves, so the size or position of a slice cannot favor anyone.
Can the same student be picked twice?
Not within a round. A picked name leaves the draw until everyone has had a turn or you press Start over. If you want a student to stay in, press the Put back button, which carries their name, straight after their pick.
What do I do when a student is absent?
If an absent student comes up, pick again and leave them in the Already picked list: they are skipped for this round and return in the next one. For a long absence, delete the line under Your class. Add the name back when the student returns and they join the round in progress.
Are the names saved or sent anywhere?
Names stay in this browser. Your class lists and the current round are stored on this device so they are here next lesson, and nothing is sent to us. There is no share link on this page, because a link would carry the names. On a shared computer, open Saved classes and use Delete this class when you finish.
How many names can this random student picker hold?
Up to 80 names in a class and up to 12 classes, so a teacher with several periods can keep them all and switch under Saved classes. Each class has its own round. Two students with the same first name are fine: the second is shown as Alex (2), or you can add a last initial yourself.