How does the Secret Santa generator draw names?

Type the names, one per line, add any pairs who must not draw each other, and press Draw names. The tool shuffles the list with your browser’s cryptographic random numbers and keeps the first shuffle in which nobody draws themselves and no pair draws each other, so every draw that fits your rules is equally likely. Everyone gives one gift and receives one. If your pairs leave very few possible draws, it uses a method that always finds one, and says so.

If the pairs make a draw impossible, the tool names the people who are boxed in instead of guessing. Our illustration: with Aisha, Ben and Chloe, keeping Aisha and Ben apart leaves both of them only Chloe to draw, so no draw exists. Add a fourth person or remove the pair.

How does each person see only their own match?

  • One device: each person taps their name, checks nobody is looking, sees their match and hides it before passing the phone on.
  • Private links: each link carries one person’s match after the “#” in the address, a part that browsers do not send to any server. Send each link in its own message. The match is encoded, not encrypted, so anyone holding a link can read it.
  • The organiser’s list: every match, on screen or printed. If you organise and also take part, leave it closed.

What happens if I redraw?

Every draw gets a four-character draw code, shown on each reveal. Links from an earlier draw still open and show the old match, so after a redraw send everyone their new link and tell the group the new code.

How do I run an office or family Secret Santa in Singapore in December?

  • Make it opt-in, and agree the budget first. The tool suggests no figure. As our own suggestion, not survey data: a ceiling of S$10 to S$20 for a casual office exchange, and S$20 to S$50 among family or close friends. Pick a figure the person with the least to spend is comfortable with.
  • Fix the date early. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026 (MOM’s public holidays list). If people may be away that long weekend, exchange gifts before it; our date calculator counts the working days to the party.
  • Call it a year-end exchange. Not everyone in a Singapore office or family celebrates Christmas, and our Christmas 2026 group plan suggests keeping the gift exchange optional.
  • Agree the house rules. Whether gifts stay anonymous, whether wish lists are allowed, and any gift rules your employer has. For a larger office event, see our company dinner and dance guide.

How does a white elephant gift exchange work?

Nobody draws a name. Everyone brings one wrapped gift within the budget, and the tool can draw the order of turns. The first person opens a gift; each person after that opens a new gift or steals an opened one, and someone whose gift is stolen opens or steals again. Common house rules, to agree beforehand: a gift can be stolen at most three times and never straight back. The game ends when every gift is open.

What does this generator not do?

It does not choose gifts, collect money or send messages, and it forgets a draw when you close the page, so keep the links or print the list first. It cannot stop someone reading a link forwarded to them, or peeking at a shared screen. It does not decide what budget suits your group.

Common questions

What is the smallest group for a Secret Santa?

Three people. With two, each would know who drew them. The tool takes 3 to 30 names.

Can two people draw each other?

Yes, a fair draw can pair two people both ways. Add them as a pair to keep them apart, for example a couple.

Is the draw random?

Yes. It uses your browser’s cryptographic random numbers, and every draw that fits your rules is equally likely unless the tool says it used its fallback method.

Are the names sent anywhere?

No. The draw happens in your browser, and a reveal link keeps the match after the “#”, which is not sent to a server.

About 4 minute read · Send a correction or suggestion

Sources