VBA Trying to make a function that will randomly assign names to each other without repeating, getting Compile error: Expected array - excel

Question

I am trying to make a button that will take a list of names and match them up with each other over multiple weeks without matching the same people up twice. With the code I have written I get an error that says "Compile Error: Expected Array"
Below is the code that I have so far. Any help would be appreciated
Sub nameMatcher()
Dim column As Integer
Dim cellsDown As Integer
Dim randomNumber As Integer
Dim names As String
Dim i As Byte
Dim arI As Byte
Dim myRange As Range
Dim myCell As Range
Dim numNames As Integer
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate
cellsDown = 3
column = Application.InputBox(Prompt:="What meeting number is this for?", Type:=1)
numNames = Application.CountA(Range("A:A")) - 1
i = 1
Do While i <= numNames
randomNum:
randomNumber = Application.RandBetween(2, numNames + 1)
For arI = LBound(names) To UBound(names)
If names(arI) = Cells(randomNumber, 1).Value Then
GoTo randomNum
End If
Next arI
names(i) = Cells(randomNumber, 1).Value
i = i + 1
Loop
Worksheet
For arI = LBound(names) To UBound(names)
Cells(cellsDown, column) = names(arI)
cellsDown = cellsDown + 1
Next arI
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

Answer 1

Like #Warcupine suggested - your main problem is your not declaring your array as a variant or an array. Both will work, but I think it's simplest to declare as a variant and then assign your column of values to create the array
Change
Dim names As String
To
Dim names As Variant
Then after the line (are you subtracting 1 to ignore header??)
numNames = Application.CountA(Range("A:A")) - 1
Add this line to fill in your array (assuming top row is ignored header)
names = Range("A2:A" & numNames+1)
And then you'll have to change all your array references to use the second dimension as 1
So names(arI) becomes names(arI,1)
and names(i) becomes names(i,1)