Minnesota Lake Names: "Unnamed" Is the Most Common

Minnesota, the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" (actually 11,842 ≥10 acres), has a surprising naming pattern: the most common name is "Unnamed" (or "Unnamed Lake").

Why So Many Unnamed Lakes?

• Many are small, remote, or on public land without formal naming.
• USGS topographic maps label them "Unnamed Lake" + a number.
• Only a fraction have official names approved by the US Board on Geographic Names.

Most Common Named Lakes

Excluding "Unnamed," frequent names include:

• Lake (generic, e.g., "Lake Superior" but also many small "Lake [Name]")
• Lake of the Woods
• Rainy Lake
• Red Lake
• Leech Lake
• Mille Lacs Lake
• Cass Lake
• Winnibigoshish Lake
• Itasca Lake (Mississippi headwaters)

Naming Patterns

Many derive from Ojibwe/Dakota words (Mille Lacs, Winnibigoshish, Itasca), French voyageurs (Leech, Cass), or descriptive features (Red, Rainy).

So while "Lake" appears in most official names, "Unnamed" tops the raw count.