Secret Santa Generator

Draw gift assignments so everyone gives to one person and receives from one person. Nobody is assigned their own name.

Input

Paste or type below
0 items

Ctrl + Enter to generate (⌘ on Mac)

Result

Waiting for input

No result yet

Add your entries and generate to see the result here.

Runs in your browser. Your input is not uploaded.2–10,000 unique participants

About the secret santa generator

A Secret Santa generator pairs givers with recipients from one participant list. Every unique name appears once as a giver and once as a recipient. The output is an organizer’s list: all pairings are visible on the screen together. It does not email participants, hide individual assignments, or create private invitation links.

How to use the secret santa

  1. Enter at least two participants with distinct names. Add initials or surnames where necessary; identical entries are rejected.
  2. Click Draw gift pairings to create an assignment without self-draws.
  3. Copy or download the complete list. The organizer must share each person’s recipient privately if the exchange is meant to stay secret.

Secret Santa example

One possible result is shown below. Your result will vary.

Input

Alex
Bea
Cory
Dev

Example result

Alex → Cory
Bea → Alex
Cory → Dev
Dev → Bea

Every person has exactly one recipient, every recipient is assigned once, and nobody gives to themselves.

When to use it

Small gift exchanges

Create an assignment for a group that has already agreed to participate. Keep the organizer’s complete result away from participants if secrecy matters.

Household or office events

Draw a simple list after confirming names. Budget, gift rules, addresses, and exchange dates are arranged outside this tool.

One-to-one assignments

Use the same structure for a low-stakes exchange where each participant must give to one other participant and receive once.

Options and input rules

Unique participants
The generator compares full text labels. Use distinct names for distinct people. Duplicate removal can clean accidental repeats before the draw, but cannot distinguish two people with the same label.
Exclusions
Only self-draws are excluded. There are no rules for couples, households, previous recipients, or reciprocal pairings.
Visibility and storage
All assignments appear together. Reloading clears the page, so save the list before distributing recipients. The site does not store or send assignments.

How the randomization works

The tool uses a Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by the browser’s crypto.getRandomValues() source. It walks through the list and exchanges each entry with a randomly chosen eligible position. The settings for this tool then determine how the shuffled entries become an order, selection, or set of assignments.

Entries and results stay in this page’s memory. This site does not upload your input or keep a saved history. A new generation replaces the displayed result; copy or download anything you want to keep before reloading or leaving the page.

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone draw their own name?

No. The generator checks the assignment and redraws it if any giver is paired with their own label.

Can two people draw each other?

Yes. Reciprocal pairs are allowed. With only two participants, giving to each other is the only valid arrangement.

Can I exclude partners or last year’s recipient?

This version does not support custom exclusions. It enforces only one gift per giver, one assignment per recipient, and no self-draws.

Are the assignments sent privately?

No. The organizer sees the entire list and must send individual assignments themselves. Do not show the whole screen to participants if recipients should remain secret.