Magic Name Hat
Draw student names out of a magic top hat — 16 animals pop out with the name, with Halloween, Christmas and more themes.
20 of 20 names in the hat
Who will it be? Tap the hat!
Who pops out of the hat?
Surprise me brings out a different Rainbow friend each time: Bunny, Kitten, Puppy, Panda, Bear, Fox, Owl.
One class list for every name tool — Name Picker, Wheel of Names, Magic Hat, Group Maker and Duck Race. Saved on this device only; names are never uploaded. Move it to another computer
Recent winners
Names you draw will show up here.
Free Magic Name Hat Picker for Fun Classroom Management
Pulling names out of a hat is a classroom classic — this version adds a little magic. Paste your class list, tap the top hat and watch it wiggle while the stars twinkle, then a bunny, kitten, panda or one of 16 animal friends pops out and the chosen name rises up in giant letters. Seasonal themes dress the whole show up for Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter. Teachers use the magic name hat to call on students to answer questions, pick partners and presenters, form groups one name at a time, and hand out classroom jobs like line leader or paper passer. Every draw is truly random, and with Remove Drawn Name turned on, nobody is picked twice until everyone has had a turn, so students see that the hat plays fair. The suspense keeps the whole class watching, and Classroom Presentation Mode puts the hat and the name full screen on your projector or smartboard with ads hidden, big enough for the back row to read.
Draw names from the hat in 3 steps
Fill the hat. Type or paste your students’ names, one per line, or press Load Sample Class to try it with 20 sample names. Your list saves automatically in this browser and is shared with the other name tools, so you only type it once.
Set up the show. Pick a theme — Rainbow, Spooky Halloween, Festive Christmas, Thanksgiving Harvest or Spring Easter — and who pops out: a favorite animal every time, or Surprise me. Remove Drawn Name keeps names out of the hat until you put them back, so there are no repeats.
Draw a name! Press Draw Name, click the hat or tap the Spacebar. The hat wiggles, a rabbit pops out with the name and confetti flies. Recent winners are listed below the stage.
Ways to use the Magic Hat in class
Morning meeting greeting leader
In K–2 morning meeting, draw a name to choose who starts the greeting or shares news. Set the critter to Surprise me so a different animal friend pops out each day — part of the fun is guessing who will appear. Remove Drawn Name means everyone gets a morning before anyone goes twice.
Building partners one draw at a time
Draw two names for each pair while the class watches, and keep going until the hat is empty. Remove Drawn Name keeps paired students out of the hat, and the Recent winners list shows every draw in order, so you can copy the partner list onto the board before students move.
Author’s chair in writing workshop
At the end of writing time, draw a name for author’s chair. With Remove Drawn Name on, the hat remembers who has already shared — even after you close the browser — so you can pick up where you left off tomorrow and give every writer a turn before pressing Put Names Back.
Seasonal celebration draws
For a class party, switch the hat to Spooky Halloween for a black cat, ghost or bat, Festive Christmas for a reindeer, snowman or penguin, or the Thanksgiving and Easter themes. Draw names to choose who picks a prize, leads a game or reads the class poem, with themed confetti for every winner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the magic name hat really random?
Yes. Each name is chosen with your browser’s secure random number generator, so every name in the hat has exactly the same chance. The wiggle and the rabbit happen after the pick and are only there for fun.
Can I stop the same student from being picked twice?
Yes. Choose Remove Drawn Name and each drawn name stays out of the hat. The stage shows how many names are left, and Put Names Back refills the hat when everyone has had a turn — even after you refresh the page.
Is it free, and is my class list private?
It’s completely free with no login and no downloads. Your class list and recent winners are saved only in this browser on this device and are never uploaded.
Can I choose which animal pops out of the hat?
Yes. Pick a favorite friend — like the bunny, panda, fox or owl — and it pops out on every draw, or choose Surprise me for a different friend from the current theme each time, never the same one twice in a row. There are 16 friends in all, including seasonal ones like a ghost, reindeer, snowman, turkey and chick.
Can the same student be drawn more than once?
Yes, if you want. Under “After a name is drawn,” choose Keep Name and every name stays in the hat, so any student can be drawn on any turn — handy for keeping the whole class ready to answer. Switch back to Remove Drawn Name for strict turns. Either way, Recent winners lists the latest draws, and Clear empties that list.
Can I draw names with a presentation clicker?
Yes. In Classroom Presentation Mode, Space, Enter, the Right Arrow and Page Down all draw a name — the keys most presentation clickers send — so you can draw from anywhere in the room. Outside presentation mode, the Spacebar draws, or you can click the hat. The speaker button mutes the sounds if you need a quiet draw.