Privacy & cookie policy
Pinwheel Names is a single-page tool. We collect as little as a website reasonably can, and this page says plainly what that is.
Who we are
Pinwheel Names is operated by Pinwheelbabynames, contactable at hello@pinwheelbabynames.online. That address is the fastest way to reach us about anything on this page, including a request to access or delete data.
What we collect
Things you type. Nothing. There's no account, no sign-up form and no newsletter. The filters you choose and the names you spin are processed entirely inside your browser and never reach our servers.
Your shortlist. Names you save are written to your browser's local storage under the key pinwheel:shortlist. This is a store on your own device. We cannot read it, it is not transmitted anywhere, and clearing your browsing data removes it. Your cookie choice is stored the same way, under pinwheel:consent, and your running ticket count under pinwheel:ticketNumber.
Server logs. Our hosting provider records standard request logs — IP address, browser user agent, page requested and timestamp — for security and diagnostics. These are retained for a limited period and are not used to build a profile of you.
Advertising
This site is free and is funded by advertising. We use Google AdSense to serve ads. Advertising slots are labelled "Advertisement" so they're never mistaken for site content, and no ad is placed where it could be clicked by accident while you're using the wheel.
Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on this site. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to this site and other sites on the internet.
You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. To opt out of personalisation by other participating vendors, visit aboutads.info/choices or youronlinechoices.com. More detail on how Google uses data from sites that use its services is available in Google's partner sites policy.
Cookies and consent
We don't load the advertising script until you make a choice on the consent bar. Choosing Reject non-essential means no Google advertising cookies are set and the ad script is never fetched; the wheel works identically either way. Choosing Accept all permits Google and its certified partners to set advertising cookies as described above.
To change your mind, clear this site's data in your browser settings and reload the page — the consent bar will reappear.
Third-party services
- Google AdSense — advertising, loaded only after consent. Privacy policy.
- Google Fonts — typefaces are requested from Google's servers, which means your IP address is visible to Google when the page loads. To avoid this, self-host the font files and remove the two
fonts.gstatic.comlinks from the page head. - Namecheap — serves the site and keeps the request logs described above.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or restrict processing of your personal data, and to object to processing or lodge a complaint with your data protection authority. Because we hold almost nothing about you, most such requests are answered in a sentence — but write to us and we will answer.
Children
This site is written for adults choosing a name for a child. It is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect data from them.
Accuracy of name meanings
Name meanings and origins are provided for interest. Etymology is often contested, and reputable sources disagree. Nothing here is professional, legal or genealogical advice.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes materially we will update the date at the top of the page. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the revised policy.