Organising Secret Santa shouldn't take hours
1 in 10 Secret Santa groups organised on drawnames had 15 or more participants, including large families, teams, departments and schools running their gift exchange on a scale that a simple paper draw was never designed for. (drawnames.com, 2025)
As the group grows, organising the gift exchange by hand becomes more complicated and time-consuming: keeping track of who's joined, preventing unwanted matches and updating the list when someone joins late or drops out.
drawnames automates reminders, matching and exclusions, giving organisers less to manage and more time to enjoy the gift exchange.
As the group grows, organising the gift exchange by hand becomes more complicated and time-consuming: keeping track of who's joined, preventing unwanted matches and updating the list when someone joins late or drops out.
drawnames automates reminders, matching and exclusions, giving organisers less to manage and more time to enjoy the gift exchange.
Designed to take the admin out of Secret Santa
One invitation link for everyone
Save time by sharing one invitation link that everyone can use to join the Secret Santa exchange.
Automatic reminders and updates
drawnames helps keep your celebration on track with timely updates, reminders for anyone who hasn’t joined yet, and prompts for important next steps.
No redraw if someone drops out
If someone drops out, remove them. drawnames intelligently adjusts only the necessary matches, without disturbing the rest of the draw.
Large Group Draw Examples
demo
8
participants
Your drawn name is...
???
Ready to start your Secret Santa?
Organise a stress-free Secret Santa draw, with no one drawing their own name and no need to start again.
Start Drawing NamesWhat are our fans saying?
Melinda
US • December 26, 2025
This was awesome!! It was perfect for a big family trying to take out the stress of buying for everyone. It helped take out the guess work of what to buy, by allowing a wish list.
This was awesome!! It was perfect for a big family trying to take out the stress of buying for everyone. It helped take out the guess work of what to buy, by allowing a wish list.
Julie
US • December 19, 2025
My colleagues and I absolutely loved using drawnames! It makes shopping for gifts for coworkers so much less stressful, as it provides fun suggestions. Everyone can easily choose what they'd prefer to receive for Secret Santa!
My colleagues and I absolutely loved using drawnames! It makes shopping for gifts for coworkers so much less stressful, as it provides fun suggestions. Everyone can easily choose what they'd prefer to receive for Secret Santa!
Debbie
US • December 15, 2025
This was the best application for drawing names and providing gift suggestions. Everyone else on my team thought the same thing. I have also shared it with multiple other family and friends. So cool!
This was the best application for drawing names and providing gift suggestions. Everyone else on my team thought the same thing. I have also shared it with multiple other family and friends. So cool!
Jacqueline
US • December 11, 2025
Everything went so smooth and uncomplicated. Everyone enjoys the way it works. It is perfect for large groups who may not be familiar with others likes and dislikes.
Everything went so smooth and uncomplicated. Everyone enjoys the way it works. It is perfect for large groups who may not be familiar with others likes and dislikes.
Other helpful Secret Santa features
Never draw your own name for Secret Santa
Organise a Secret Santa without anyone drawing their own name or having to start over. Read more
Set exclusions
Add exclusions for couples, siblings, members of the same household or anyone else who shouldn't be matched. Read more
Organize Secret Santa in ChatGPT
Organise your Secret Santa in minutes with the free drawnames plugin for ChatGPT. Read more
Common questions and answers
On the celebration, you can see which members still need to draw a name or make a wish list. The celebration organiser can then send them a reminder.
If you already have a list of names and/or email addresses, you can easily import them.
You can set exclusions while you’re creating the celebration. The exclusions can be changed later on, as long as at least 4 members haven’t yet drawn a name.
If you want to exclude partners, make sure you set the exclusion for both people. You can add exclusions to a celebration with at least 4 members.
If you want to organise a celebration without drawing a name yourself, uncheck the option 'Include me (the organiser) in the draw' in the first step of setting up a celebration. This way, you're just hosting, not drawing a name yourself.
Trusted for millions of gift exchanges
Every year, millions of people around the world use drawnames to draw names fairly, avoid do-overs, and keep gift exchanges fun for everyone.
25 Years
of bringing loved ones together
42M+
names drawn yearly
4.8/5
user rating
Ready to start your Secret Santa?
Organise a stress-free Secret Santa draw, with no one drawing their own name and no need to start again.
Start Drawing Names