Draw Names · Free · No sign-up
Who’s your secret gift buddy?
Set up a Secret Santa in a minute. Everyone gets an email with their own link, shakes a gift box and finds out who they’re buying for, plus that person’s wish list.
- 1Add everyone with a name, an email and a photo if you like
- 2We email each person a private link to draw a name
- 3The box opens and their person pops out with a wish list
Your draw · Organiser’s page
This page shows who has drawn, never who drew whom. Bookmark it, or find the link in your email.
People in the draw
Gift exchange
Tap the box to draw your name
Their wish list
No wish list yet. Check back later: it updates as soon as they add one.
Your wish list
Give the person who draws you a clue. Add a few ideas, with a link if you like.
Your photo
This is what pops out of the box when someone draws you.
What is Draw Names?
Draw Names is a free Secret Santa generator for families, friends and offices. Add everyone with a name and an email, and each person gets their own private link. They open it, tap the gift box, and after a good shake the lid pops off and the name (and photo) of the person they’re buying for jumps out. Everyone can also write a wish list, so the person who draws them has a few ideas.
A private link for everyone
Everyone draws from their own phone or computer, whenever suits them
Wish lists
Ideas and links that the person who drew you sees under your name
The secret stays secret
Nobody, not even the organiser, can see who drew whom
How to Use
Add everyone
Give your draw a name, then add each person with a name and an email, or paste a list. Add photos if you like. A budget, the exchange date and a note for everyone are optional.
Set the rules
Keep names and photos hidden until drawn, or let everyone float around the box as a teaser. Add couples or housemates under Can’t draw each other. Taking part yourself? Leave “I’m taking part too” on.
Create the draw
Names are matched in secret and everyone gets an email with their link. You get a link to your organiser page, where you can see who has drawn, resend links and send reminders.
Open the gift box
Each person taps the box. It shakes, the lid flies off and their person pops out, with their wish list underneath. The link keeps working, so they can come back for wish list updates.
Popular Use Cases
Can anyone see who drew whom?
No. Each person sees only the name they drew. The organiser’s page shows who has drawn, but never who drew whom, so the organiser can take part too.
Can someone draw their own name?
No. Names are matched in secret when you create the draw, so nobody gets themselves and the last person is never left holding only their own name. Opening the box reveals your match.
How do wish lists work?
Everyone can add ideas, with a link if they like, on their own page. The person who drew them sees the list under the name, and it updates whenever it changes, so it’s worth checking back.
Can I keep couples from drawing each other?
Yes. Add them as a pair under “Can’t draw each other” and they’ll never be matched. If there are so many pairs that no match is possible, we’ll tell you before anything is sent.
What if someone loses their email, or I made a mistake?
From your organiser page you can resend anyone’s link, remind everyone who hasn’t drawn, and fix names, emails and photos. To add or remove people after some have drawn, use “Redraw everyone”: names are drawn again and everyone gets a new email.
What happens to our names, emails and photos?
They’re used only to run your draw and send its emails. The organiser can delete the draw at any time, and every draw is deleted automatically 60 days after the exchange date (or a year after the last change if there’s no date).