Secret Santa Generator: Draw Names Privately
Pairing mode
Links for each person show up here after the draw.
Start from this sample group, or replace it with the people in your exchange. One name per line. The draw uses only the names you leave in the box.
What this template loads
- Alex
- Jordan
- Sam
- Riley
- Casey
- Morgan
- Quinn
- Avery
How the Secret Santa generator works
A Secret Santa generator pairs a whole group so every person gives one gift and every person receives one gift. Paste the names, mark any couple or family who should not draw each other, and press Draw names. The result is a derangement: nobody is paired with themselves, and every name is used once as a giver and once as a receiver.
The wheel beside the button is only a signal that the draw is running. This page does not pick a single winner. It builds the full set of pairs in your browser. The list is not uploaded, there is no account, and the names stay on this device until you clear them.
Exclusions, private links, and pass the device
When the pairs are ready, copy a private link for each person. Opening that link shows a card for that one giver. The match stays hidden until they tap, and the card can also show the budget and the exchange date. The link does not include anyone else's pair. In the same room, skip the links and pass the device. Each person taps their own name, reads the match, and hides the screen before the phone moves on.
Exclusions are symmetric. If two people cannot draw each other, the draw blocks both directions. If the rules leave someone with no legal match, the page stops and names that person. Three people with one excluded couple cannot be drawn, because the third person would have to receive two gifts. Remove an exclusion, or add another name, and draw again.
What stays in this browser
You can redraw later. The confirm box warns that links already sent no longer match the draw stored in this browser. A link opened on a different device still shows the match it was built with, because NamesWheel does not keep a server copy it can revoke. Send each link only to its owner. The links are obfuscated, not encrypted.
The host can export a CSV after a second confirm. That file lists every pair, so it spoils the surprise for the person who opens it. Leave it closed unless you need a private record. NamesWheel does not email or WhatsApp the results. You copy the link and deliver it yourself. When the exchange is over, Clear removes the names, the exclusions, the budget, and the pairs from this browser.
Common questions
How does the Secret Santa generator work?
Add at least three names and press Draw names. NamesWheel builds a full pairing in your browser: every person gives once, every person receives once, and nobody draws themselves.
Can I stop couples from drawing each other?
Yes. Add an exclusion for the two people. It works in both directions, so neither of them can draw the other. If the exclusions make a complete pairing impossible, the page says so instead of drawing a broken result.
How does each person see only their match?
Copy the private link next to that person's name, or pass the device and let them tap their own name. A link contains only that one match. The organizer list does not show the receiver beside the name.
Are the reveal links secure?
The links are obfuscated, not encrypted. Anyone who opens a link, or decodes it, can see that one match. Send each link only to its owner.
Does NamesWheel email or WhatsApp the results?
No. You send the links yourself. NamesWheel does not email or message anyone.
Is my list stored anywhere?
Only in this browser. Names, exclusions, the budget, and the pairs stay in local storage on this device until you press Clear. The draw does not upload them.