Baby name wheel
Stuck between a handful of favourites? This baby name wheel spins through a list of names and lands on one at random. Start with the ready-made girl, boy or gender-neutral names for inspiration, or replace them with your own shortlist and let the wheel break the tie.
Source: W3C Recommendation, W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues(). Updated: .
How it is calculated
The baby name wheel picks one name from the list completely at random – every name has the same chance. With the 24 ready-made girl names each one comes up with a probability of 1 in 24, about 4.17%; with your own shortlist of five names it is 1 in 5, or 20%.
How to use the baby name wheel
- Pick a ready-made list – girl names, boy names, gender-neutral or all 66 – or clear the box and type your own names, one per line.
- Press Spin the wheel. The result is drawn first and the wheel then turns to it.
- Not convinced? That tells you something too. Tick “Remove the winning entry from the wheel” and spin again to work through the list.
Three ways parents use it
| Situation | How to set up the wheel |
|---|---|
| You cannot agree on the final two or three | Type only the finalists. One spin – and notice whether you feel relief or disappointment at the result. |
| One parent likes a name much more | Give it weight: “Nora *2” makes that slice twice as large as the others. |
| You are just starting out | Load “All (66)”, spin a few times and write down every name that makes you both smile. |
| Baby shower game | Guests add one suggestion each; spin with “Remove the winning entry” ticked to read them out in random order. |
Narrowing a long list down fairly
A knockout works well for long lists. Put all names on the wheel, tick “Remove the winning entry from the wheel” and spin: the name the wheel lands on is eliminated. Repeat until three names are left, then talk. The wheel keeps the process fair, and the last decision stays with you.
Middle names and sibling names
Run a second wheel for the middle name: spin once on the first-name list, note the result, load your middle-name candidates and spin again. Say the full combination out loud with your surname – rhythm matters more than any generator. If the baby has siblings, add their names for a moment to hear how the set sounds together, then remove them before spinning.
About the ready-made names
The three lists contain familiar names in alphabetical order. They are examples to get you started – not a popularity ranking and not a recommendation. Names from your own family, language or tradition belong on the wheel just as well; type them in exactly as you would spell them.
Private by design
The names you type stay in your browser. They are never written into the page address, so nothing shows up in a browser history or a shared screenshot of the address bar. If you want to share your shortlist – with your partner or the grandparents on WhatsApp – use “Share this wheel”: the list then travels inside the link itself. For a plain random draw from a list of people, see the random name picker.
Frequently asked questions
Is the baby name wheel really random?
Yes. The winning name is drawn with the browser’s cryptographic random number generator before the wheel starts to turn. Every name has the same chance unless you add a weight.
Can I add my own names?
Yes. Clear the box and type one name per line, up to 80 characters each. You can also mix your names with a ready-made list.
Can I make one name more likely?
Write a weight after the name, for example “Nora *2” or “Leo *3”. The odds table below the wheel shows the exact chance for each name.
Are these the most popular baby names?
No. The lists are familiar example names in alphabetical order, without any ranking. For official popularity data, look at the statistics office of your country.
How do I pick a first and a middle name?
Spin once with your first names, note the result, then replace the list with your middle-name candidates and spin again.
Can I share my shortlist with my partner?
Yes. “Share this wheel” creates a link that contains your list. Send it by WhatsApp or email; the other person sees the same wheel and can spin it.
Are the names I enter stored anywhere?
Only in your own browser, so the list is still there when you come back. Nothing is sent to a server, and the names do not appear in the page address.
Should a wheel decide my baby’s name?
Treat it as a tie-breaker and a conversation starter. Your reaction to the result often shows which name you were hoping for.
Sources and legal basis
- W3C Recommendation: W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues()
- MDN Web Docs – Crypto.getRandomValues()
As of: · Editorial policy
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