Can someone be assigned to themselves?

No. The picker always produces a derangement, meaning every giver is matched to someone other than themselves.

How many people can I add?

Any group of two or more works. Just enter one name per line; duplicate names are flagged so the draw stays fair.

Are the names stored anywhere?

No. The draw happens entirely in your browser and no names are uploaded, saved, or shared.

How does a Secret Santa generator stop people getting themselves?

It produces a derangement — a random arrangement where no one keeps their own slot. If a shuffle happens to pair someone with themselves, the tool reshuffles until every giver has a different recipient.

Is the draw truly random?

Yes. It uses the browser's cryptographically secure random generator with a Fisher–Yates shuffle, so each valid arrangement is equally likely rather than biased toward any order.

What is the minimum number of people for Secret Santa?

Two is the minimum, in which case each person simply buys for the other. The draw works for any group of two or more.

Can I run the draw without emailing everyone?

Yes. Reveal each pairing one tap at a time on a single screen so each person sees only their own match, with no email or accounts needed.

Secret Santa Picker — Gera Tools

Secret Santa picker

Run a fair Secret Santa draw in seconds. Paste your group, one name per line, and get assignments where nobody is ever matched to themselves — then reveal each pairing one tap at a time so it stays a surprise. It is built for office gift exchanges, family Christmases and any group draw.

How it works

A valid Secret Santa draw is a derangement — a shuffle in which no person keeps their own position, so every giver is assigned someone else and everyone receives from exactly one person. The tool:

Removes blank lines and flags duplicate names.
Generates a random order with a Fisher–Yates shuffle, drawing randomness from the browser’s cryptographically secure crypto.getRandomValues.
Checks that no one is paired with themselves; if any are, it reshuffles until the result is a clean derangement.

Each pairing stays hidden until you tap to reveal it, so you can run the draw on one screen without spoiling the surprise.

Example

Enter four names:

Alex
Sam
Jordan
Riley

A possible valid draw is Alex → Sam, Sam → Jordan, Jordan → Riley, Riley → Alex — note nobody buys for themselves. Re-running produces a fresh random set.

The draw runs entirely in your browser with a secure random generator. No names are uploaded, saved, or shared.