Secret Santa Generator: Draw Names, Skip Partners, Keep It Secret
Paste your names one per line, put couples on one line like Sam & Alex, and draw. No one is matched with themselves or their partner, and each person sees only their own match, so the host does not see the whole list unless you ask.
Free · no signup · runs in your browser — nothing you type leaves your device.
Your group
Sample names are filled in. Replace them with your own.
Same names and same number give the same draw. Redraw moves to a new number. Keep the number private until the draw is final.
The draw
Nothing leaves your browser. The names, the number and the matches are not saved or sent anywhere.
How the draw works
Each line you enter is one person, or one group if you join names with an ampersand. Everyone gets exactly one match and is the match of exactly one person, so the draw is a single set of pairs with no one left out. A person is never matched with themselves, and never with anyone on their own line. The draw number seeds a shuffle, so the result is repeatable: change one number and everything is redrawn.
A valid draw needs the largest group to be no more than half of everyone. Two people on one line plus one more person cannot work, because the couple would have to draw the same single person. When that happens the tool tells you what to change instead of showing a broken draw. Worked example: Ann & Bo and Cy & Di is four people in two couples, so Ann and Bo must each draw Cy or Di, and Cy and Di must each draw Ann or Bo. Every valid draw sends gifts across the two couples.
Keeping it secret
Click a name to see only that person's match, then press Hide before passing the screen on. Or press Copy message next to a name and paste it straight into a private chat with that person without reading it. Pair this with the Secret Santa guide for budgets, wish lists and what to do about remote groups, and use the white elephant rules generator instead if you want a swap where gifts are stolen.
Questions
- How does Secret Santa work?
- Everyone in the group is secretly assigned one other person. Each person buys a gift for the person they drew, within an agreed limit, and the gifts are handed over at a party or by mail. The point of the draw is that nobody knows who has them except the giver. This generator does the draw for you and shows each person only their own match.
- Can the generator pair someone with themselves or their partner?
- No. Every person is matched with someone other than themselves, and anyone you put on the same line with an ampersand, like "Sam & Alex", is never matched with the others on that line. That covers couples, but also roommates or siblings. If the groups are so large that no valid draw exists (for example a couple and one other person), the tool says so instead of showing a draw that breaks the rule.
- How do I keep the draw secret from the host?
- By default the page shows only a list of names. Click a name to see that person's match, then hide it again before the next person looks. You can also copy a ready-made message for each person without reading it and paste it into a private chat. A checkbox shows the whole list, but it is off until you tick it, because ticking it spoils the surprise for whoever is running the draw.
- What does the draw number do?
- The draw number picks the shuffle. The same names with the same number give the same draw every time, and a different number gives a different draw. Press Redraw to move to a new number. Because the draw can be reproduced, anyone who knows both the names and the number could recreate it, so keep the number to yourself until the draw is final.
- What if someone drops out after the draw?
- Remove their name and redraw. Everyone gets a new match, so tell the group the first draw is cancelled. Patching one pair by hand can leave someone with themselves or their partner, which is the very thing the draw prevents.
- Does anything I type leave my device?
- No. The draw runs in your browser. The names, the number and the matches are never sent or stored anywhere, and closing the tab erases them.
Printable Christmas party suites
Ready-to-print Christmas party suites
Invitation, Secret Santa cards that pair everyone automatically, a gift swap rules sign, food labels and place cards, editable on a laptop (it also opens on a phone or tablet). Three kits per theme, with games and a planner in the bigger ones. Digital download, nothing ships.
Bows & Boughs
Hand-drawn trees, bows, gifts and ornaments in blush pink, cream, green and red. A classic, cheerful Christmas table.
- Printable Suite $14.99 View on Etsy
- Host Kit $22.99 View on Etsy
- Everything Kit $34.99 View on Etsy
Gnome for the Holidays
Little gnomes, trees and snowflakes in blush pink with sage green and red. Cozy and a little silly, for a cabin-style party.
- Printable Suite $14.99 View on Etsy
- Host Kit $22.99 View on Etsy
- Everything Kit $34.99 View on Etsy
Ugly Sweater
Doodled sweaters, candy canes and ornaments with a zigzag border on butter yellow, green and red. Made for the tacky-sweater party.
- Printable Suite $14.99 View on Etsy
- Host Kit $22.99 View on Etsy
- Everything Kit $34.99 View on Etsy
Kit contents, side by side: compare all three kits.