Exploring Minnesota's Most Common Lake Names

It turns out that lakes aren’t just abundant here in Minnesota — their names are too. Well, kind of… because when you see the list of the most common lake names, you might feel like you’ve been reading the same sign over and over.

Like many Minnesotans, one of my favorite places to go is up north to the lake. While it's difficult to say just how many cabins, cottages, and lake homes currently exist here in our fair state, CBS News-Minnesota quoted the Minnesota Department of Revenue, which put the number between 122,000 and 135,000 different non-commercial 'seasonal recreational properties.'

That's likely because when it comes to lakes, it's tough to beat us here in Minnesota, right? And while our famous state slogan proudly proclaims that there are 10,000 lakes in this land, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) points out that there are actually 11,842 lakes here in the North Star State. Either way, it's still more bodies of water than Wisconsin claims to have.

ALSO INTERESTING: Here Are the Most Polluted Lakes in Minnesota in 2025

How Minnesota Defines a Lake

The Bold North defines a lake as a body of water that is 10 acres or bigger. (Wisconsin doesn't even have a minimum definition, which is why they often claim to have more lakes than we do.) The DNR says that Minnesota's 10 largest lakes have a combined surface area of more than 825,000 acres, account for about 40 percent of the annual statewide walleye harvest, and make a significant contribution to the $2.4 billion spent each year on fishing in Minnesota.

So, yeah, we have a lot of lakes. But we don't have nearly as many names for them.

The Most Common Lake Names in Minnesota

The Minnesota DNR has published a list of the Most Common Lake Names found here in the Gopher State-- and they're all names you've likely heard before.

To dig a little further, the Minnesota Star Tribune published a story about just who gets to name all those lakes in Minnesota (that'd be the DNR), and also published a list of just how many of those lakes with the most common names can be found across our fair state.

Why So Many Lakes Share the Same Name

Keep scrolling to check them out-- and yes, many of them look strangely familiar-- and then keep scrolling even farther to see the 10 most spectacular waterfalls here in Minnesota, as well!