Split a class into groups

How it works

Every name is shuffled with a Fisher-Yates shuffle, using your browser's cryptographic random number generator rather than the ordinary one. That gives every arrangement the same chance, so nobody is quietly favored by a weak shuffle.

The shuffled list is then cut into groups. If you added keep-apart pairs, the result is checked against them, and the shuffle is re-run until a split satisfies every pair, up to 3000 tries.

Good to know

Keep-apart is best effort. With many pairs and few groups it can be impossible: three people who must all be apart cannot fit into two groups. When that happens you still get groups, plus a line telling you exactly which pairs are still sitting together. It never silently pretends the constraint was met.

Leftovers get spread, not dumped. In "groups of N" mode, 10 names in groups of 3 gives you groups of 4, 3, and 3 rather than three groups and a lonely pair. Extra people are handed out one each across the groups.

Same list, two tools. The saved class list also powers the Random Name Picker, so you type it once and both pages have it.

Check for yourself that nothing is sent anywhere

You don't have to take our word for it. Every browser has a built-in panel that shows everything a page sends or receives over the internet. On a computer (this doesn't work on a phone):

1. Press F12, or right-click anywhere on this page and choose Inspect.
2. In the panel that opens, click the Network tab.
3. Now use the tool: paste your names and press Make groups.
4. Watch the Network list. Nothing appears, because the names you typed are never sent anywhere. The groups are made entirely on your own computer.