Seating chart maker
Paste one name per line, choose the number of tables and decide whether to shuffle them or keep your order. Add @2 after a name to keep that person at table 2. Tables are filled as evenly as possible, and the chart prints on one page.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Paste the names, one per line.
- Enter the number of tables and choose random or ordered seating.
- Add
@N to pin someone, then press Shuffle again until you are happy.
- Print the chart.
How it works
Pinned names are placed first. Every table gets a target size of total ÷ tables, with the first tables taking the remainder. The other names, shuffled with the seed or in typed order, fill the free seats table by table.
Example
Ten names at 3 tables, in typed order, give tables of 4, 3 and 3: names 1 to 4, 5 to 7 and 8 to 10.
Tips
- Pin the teacher’s helper or the host’s family first, then shuffle the rest.
- Keep the seed with the list to recreate a chart that was already printed.
Frequently asked questions
How are the tables balanced?
Table sizes differ by at most one person: 10 guests at 3 tables make 4, 3 and 3, with the larger tables first. Pinned guests take their table first and count towards its size.
What does "in the order typed" do?
It fills table 1 first, then table 2 and so on, in the order of your list, so friends listed next to each other sit together.
How does the pin with @ work?
Write the table number after an @ sign, as in Maria @3. If the number is outside 1 to the number of tables, the pin is ignored. If many people are pinned to one table, it can end up larger than the others.
Can I get the same shuffle again?
Yes, in random mode the seed fixes the shuffle: the same list, tables and seed give the same chart.