Updated
Secret Santa Generator
Type everyone’s name, add anyone who should not draw each other, and tap Draw names. Each person then sees only their own match, by passing this phone around or by opening a private link you send them. No sign-up and no email addresses, and the draw is never sent to our server.
How to draw Secret Santa names
- Type the names, one per line. Add a last initial if two people share a first name.
- Add the pairs who should not draw each other, such as couples or people who live together. Leave “No swaps” ticked so two people never end up buying for each other.
- Add the spending limit and the date if you have them. Each person sees them next to their match.
- Tap Draw names. Nobody sees a match yet, including you.
- Share the matches. Pass the phone so each person taps their own name, or send each person their private link.
How the private links work
Each link carries one match in the part of the web address after the # sign. Browsers do not send that part to a server, so the match goes from your phone to the other person’s phone through whatever app you send it with, and nowhere else.
The name in the link is scrambled, so it does not show up in a message preview. It is not encrypted, though: someone who copies the link and works at it could read it. Send each link to its owner only.
Keep this page open until everyone has their link. If you tap Draw again, links you already sent still show the old draw.
Secret Santa rules most groups agree on
- Nobody draws their own name. With a paper hat, that means drawing again. The generator never lets it happen.
- Set one spending limit before the draw. An etiquette expert quoted by GOBankingRates calls $20 to $25 reasonable for an office exchange. Family budgets vary far more, so agree on a number everyone can afford.
- Decide whether to reveal. Some groups reveal who gave what at the exchange, and others never say.
- Pick the date when you draw, so nobody has an excuse to shop on the last day.
Why a paper hat needs redrawing so often
Drawing from a hat works until someone pulls out their own name. With four people there are 24 ways the slips can come out, and only 9 of them leave nobody holding their own name, so most hats need a second try. Mathematicians call a draw like that a derangement.
As the group grows, the share of good draws settles near 37 percent, about one in e. In practice, roughly two hats in three need a redraw. The generator does those redraws for you, and it also respects couples and the no-swaps rule.
What Secret Santa is called in other places
The idea is the same everywhere: draw one name, buy one gift.
| Where | Name |
|---|---|
| United States, United Kingdom | Secret Santa |
| Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania | Pollyanna |
| Australia | Kris Kringle, or Secret Santa |
| Ireland | Kris Kindle or Kris Kringel |
| Germany | Wichteln |
| Spain, Portugal and most of Latin America | Amigo secreto or amigo invisible |
| Poland | Names drawn for Mikołajki, St. Nicholas Day, December 6 |
Frequently asked questions
Is this Secret Santa generator free?
Yes. No account, no email addresses and no limit on how often you draw.
Can the organizer see who got whom?
Not unless they look. The list screen shows names only, and each match appears only after someone taps their own name. The private links hide the name from plain view, but they are not encrypted, so send each link only to the person it belongs to.
How do I stop couples drawing each other?
Open “Who should not draw whom” and add one line per pair, such as Sam + Alex. Neither person in a pair will draw the other.
Is anything saved?
No. The names and the draw live in the open page and are gone when you close it, so keep the page open until everyone has their match or their link. Nothing is sent to the sneakyword server.
What if someone loses their link?
If the page with the draw is still open, send that person their link again. If it was closed, run a new draw and send everyone new links.
How many people can take part?
From 3 to 40.
More for the holidays
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