Draw Names
Draw names online for free, no slips of paper needed. Add your participants, set a budget and let our name drawing generator match everyone at random. Everyone gets their result by email, or through a link you send on WhatsApp.

- Participants don't need an account
- Keep couples from drawing each other
- Results by email or WhatsApp
- Everyone can add their wishlist
How it works
Add participants
Enter everyone's name. Email addresses are optional. You only need a free account when you draw names.
Draw names
We draw the names at random and give everyone one person to buy for.
Everyone gets their own link
Anyone with an email address gets a private link by email. You send the others their link yourself, by WhatsApp or any other way. Participants don't see anyone else's pick.
Great for
- Friends
- Family
- Colleagues
- School
- Neighbors
- Sports team
- Book club
- Online group
What it looks like
Here's what the draw looks like for your group.
Gift exchange ideas for any name you draw
Gift ideas for when you draw names with family, friends or colleagues, all within a small budget.
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Learn more about drawing names online
What is drawing names?
Drawing names is a classic gift exchange where everyone in a group is matched at random with one person to buy a gift for. Instead of buying for everyone, you buy one good gift for the person whose name you drew. With Happy Giftlist you draw names online, so you don't need a hat or scraps of paper, and it works just as well for groups that never meet up in person.
How does drawing names online work?
Add each participant by name (with an email address if you have one), set a budget and exclude any pairs that shouldn't be matched (couples or siblings who already buy for each other, for example). Then start the draw. The name picker gives everyone a random person to buy for. Everyone with an email address gets their match privately by email. For the others you get a private link per person, which you send by WhatsApp or any other way. Participants only see who they drew themselves.
Drawing names works for any group
It suits a family of five as well as an office of a hundred. It's a Christmas classic, but it's just as useful for classrooms, sports clubs, or friend groups who want to surprise each other without buying for everyone. You need at least three people, and one draw holds up to 100.
How to make your gift exchange even better
Ask every participant to attach a wishlist to their name, so whoever drew them knows what they'd like. Without an account, they can also add a few wishes through their private link. Set a budget that works for everyone. Friends and colleagues usually keep it to the price of a good book or a bottle of wine; families often go a little higher. If someone drops out after the draw, remove them on the settings page. Only the person who drew them gets a new name. You can still add a latecomer with “Add someone”, and nobody else has to draw again. Next year, “New draw with this group” starts a new draw with the same people, budget and exclusions.
A free draw names generator built for any group
Happy Giftlist is a free draw names generator that runs the whole name draw online. Use it for a family draw at Christmas, to draw names Secret Santa style at the office, or for a birthday or any other name draw you want to run. As the organizer you can keep track of it all without spoiling anyone's surprise.
Kits for offices, classes and clubs
A message to paste in the group chat, tips for that group and a draw where everyone signs up with one link.
More on Happy Giftlist
Guides from our blog
Frequently asked questions about drawing names
Add each participant by name (an email address is optional), set a budget and exclude any pairs if needed. Then click “Done”. Happy Giftlist matches everyone automatically and emails a private link with the result to everyone who has an address. You send the others their link by WhatsApp.
It's the digital version of drawing names from a hat. Everyone is given one person at random to buy a gift for, and gets their result by email or through a private link you send them.
Yes, drawing names here is completely free, and a draw can have up to 100 people. You need a free account to organize the draw, but participants don't.
Yes, you set a suggested budget when you set up the draw. Everyone sees it, so there are no surprises about how much to spend.
Yes. If there are people who shouldn't draw each other, like couples or siblings who already buy for each other, you can exclude them. Happy Giftlist makes sure those pairs aren't matched.
Yes. Each participant can link a wishlist to their name, or add a few wishes through their private link without an account. Whoever drew them sees those wishes and knows what to buy.
Practical things or small luxuries work best, the kind of thing you'd enjoy but wouldn't normally buy yourself. A wishlist linked to your name helps whoever drew you pick something you'll actually use. Think of hobbies, favorite foods or something you've been meaning to try.
Yes. A gift card, concert tickets or a class someone has wanted to try all work, as long as they fit the budget. Add them to your wishlist like any other gift.
After the draw, each person gets a private link with the name of the person they're buying for. People with an email address get it by email; you send the others their link by WhatsApp or however you like. The other participants don't see it.
Participants can't; each one only sees their own result, through their private link. As the organizer, you can look up who a participant drew with “View name” on the settings page.
On the settings page, click “Remove” next to their name. Their wishes are deleted, and only the person who drew them gets a new name and an email about it. The rest of the group doesn't notice a thing. If someone else takes their spot, change that participant's name and email address instead. With an email address, the new person gets the invitation; without one, you send them their link yourself. Whoever drew the old participant now buys for the new one.
Yes, up to 100 people per draw. For a big group, let everyone join with a link. They add their own name and email, and you just click “Draw now”.
No. Every participant gets a private link that shows who they drew, the budget and that person's wishes. Through the same link they can add their own wishes, without an account. People with an email address get the link by email, and as the organizer you can copy each person's link or send it by WhatsApp from the settings page.
Yes. Only the names are required; an email address is optional. Whoever has one gets their link by email. For everyone else you get a private link per person after the draw, which you send by WhatsApp or copy into any other message. On that page they can add their email address if they want the link by email too.
Yes. Click “New draw with this group” on last year's draw. A new draw opens with the same people, budget and exclusions filled in, and “Nobody draws the same person as last time” is already checked. You only change what's different this year. Nothing is sent until you click “Done”.
Yes. When you create a draw, choose “Everyone joins with a link”. Share the link in the group chat, and people add their own name and email and can add wishes right away. Once everyone's in, click “Draw now” and each person gets an email with who they drew. Handy for offices, classes and clubs.
Ready to draw names?
Add everyone, draw the names and send each person their own link. It's free.
Start your draw






