Random Group Generator

A random group generator takes a list of names and splits it into groups of a set count or size, so a class or team can be grouped without bias. Picking sides for a match? Try balanced sides for games.

Groups by count or by size

Choose how many groups you want or how many people per group; the tool shuffles the list and deals names out so sizes differ by at most one.

Paste one name or item per line, choose whether you want a set number of groups or a maximum group size, and press the button. The list is shuffled with crypto.getRandomValues, using rejection sampling so every order is equally likely, and then dealt out like cards: first entry to group 1, second to group 2, and so on, wrapping around. Your list stays in your browser and is not sent anywhere.

• Number of groups suits fixed slots, such as three project teams or four tables.
• Group size suits breakout rooms where you want about the same number of people in each, for example pairs or groups of four.

How the leftover names are placed

When the list does not divide evenly, extra names go one each to the first groups; the table shows sizes for common class sizes.

Ten names split into 3 groups give sizes 4, 3 and 3, because ten cannot divide evenly by three. If you choose a group size of 4 instead, the tool works out how many groups are needed (ten divided by four, rounded up, is three) and deals the same way, so you again get 4, 3 and 3 rather than 4, 4 and 2.

Naming the groups

Leave groups numbered or give each a name before sharing; names stay with the group when you reshuffle. Results are random each time; a run of the same answer is normal and not a sign the tool is broken.

Random animal generator

The third box shows one of 76 animals from a fixed list of land, sea and air species, such as otter, lynx, puffin and yak. It is handy for naming groups, picking a mascot or a drawing prompt. The list is short on purpose, so a name is never an obscure species you have to look up.

• Blank lines are ignored, but a stray space inside a name stays in the result.
• For skill-balanced groups, run the draw once per skill level and combine the results by hand.
• If a pair must not share a group, rerun until they are apart or place them by hand afterward.

Is the draw fair?

Yes, in the sense that nothing about a name, its position in the list or the time you press the button changes where it lands. The shuffle is a Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by the browser’s cryptographic generator, and numbers are drawn with rejection sampling to avoid the small bias of a plain remainder. Pressing the button again produces a fresh split and replaces the old one, so copy the groups first if you want to keep them.

Updated: 2026-11-06