About Random Name Picker

This tool allows you to quickly pick a random name (winner) from a list of names.

FAQ

We have more than 10k names. How many names does this picker support?

Our team ever tested 200k names, which cost the server 10-15 seconds to generate the winner. 100k names will cost 5 seconds. If your list is less than 50k names, it should get the winner instantly.

Is the name picker really random? How does it work?

Yes, it is quite random. It is because we use server-side, not Javascript from users' local computers, to generate the random winner. And with our innovative 3-step Randomness Process Certification, it is almost impossible to change the winner by a person or malicious code. When you click Pick a Random Name button, the tool will submit all names line by line to our server. Then our server will use Python random module to generate one pseudo-random number between 1 to total names. Then it will choose the name with this random number as a winner.

Why do you think server-side is more random than Javascript?

Both are the same from the technical part - the random function from Python and Javascript both generate pseudo-random numbers. However, it is a different story on actual real-world operations: If using random function from Javascript, as the full source codes are stored on users' local computers, it is impossible to prevent a malicious code or any person from doing something to bypass the random function and set a value to the "winner" directly. It can happen in the background process, which other people can not see on the screen. It is something which the developers can not control. We don't want that somebody use our tool to raffle off a prize, but bypass the random process, and record a video to say, "Hey, we picked a random winner by a tool from miniwebtool.com." So we choose a server-side solution. By using server-side random function, the only thing that the malicious code or a person can change is the data source. For this situation, you can use our 3-step Randomness Process Certification to prove that the whole process is clean and "random."

What is 3-step Randomness Process Certification? Is there any example for it?

If you use Random Name Picker for raffles, contests, drawings, giveaways, and promotions, etc., you are encouraged to enable 3-step Randomness Process Certification function to improve your credibility. For example, you use the name picker to raffle off a prize to 99 people from John Doe No. 001 to 099: The winner is John Doe No. 090, here is Demo of The Server-side Certification Link. Our server will store a part of the information, including the winner's name (asterisked), total names, timestamp, and a SHA512 hash code. This is step 1. When you give this link and the full winner name to your attendees, most people will trust that your raffle is random. However, what if somebody doesn't like the winner, and want to check whether there are many duplicate John Doe No. 090 in your original name list? In this case, you can go to step 2 to download your client-side certification file to prove that your data source has no error. Here is Demo of The Client-side Certification File link. Finally, what if another John Doe doubt you have modified the file? You can let him go to step 3, use our SHA512 Hash Generator to check the downloaded file. The SHA512 hash code should be the same if the file did not be changed. A person can use a fake screenshot or video to change the winner name from local computers, but can not change the information stored on our server. With the firmly secure SHA512 Hash, It is almost inconceivable that any modified file can pass step 3 verification. It is the reason that you can gain more credibility using our 3-step randomness process certification.

How much does the certification cost?

The 3-step Randomness Process Certification is totally FREE, like all our tools. We appreciate all the users who helped us to develop our tools all the time. If you think this tool is pretty good, please share this tool with your friends or add a link on your website.

Why don't you host the full information on your server? It seems to be an easier solution for the certification.

Yes, it is easier from technical part but we can not do it due to our privacy policy. We never store any data visitors submit, because the data may contain lots of personal information. We recognize that the privacy of everybody's personal information is essential.

I use Random Name Picker by myself and don't need the certification. How can I do?

Please uncheck 3-step Randomness Process certification when you submit the form. Then you will only see the winner name on the result. By default it is unchecked. And the web page will remember your last check with cookie technique.

When I re-used Random Name Picker, I found it displayed the names I submitted last time. Why?

Some users want to use the picker many times with the same name list; for example, teachers pick up a name from students. So we use the HTML5 Web Storage technique to make their life easier. With web storage, web applications can store data locally within the user's browser. If you use a public computer and do not want your names stored, you can use private or incognito window from your browser or submit another some Meaningless text. (We only use web storage to store the last submitted information.)

Does your tool automatically remove duplicate names?

No, the tool only removes all empty lines. Some users want to use duplicate names to increase somebody's opportunity to win the random game. For example, a teacher may want to give an individual student more chance for an activity or assignment in school classes. We respect users' opinion, so never change the data sources before picking a random winner. If you want to remove duplicate names from your list, you can use our other powerful Remove Duplicate Lines tool.

Is there a mobile app?

This Random Name Picker is designed as a PWA (Progressive Web App). You can install it on your home screen if your device and browser support PWA.

Can I use the tool offline?

Yes. We made an offline version through PWA. Once you install it, you can still launch Random Name Picker from your devices when you are offline. Please note we don't provide certification for the offline version because it is using random function from Javascript, not server-side.