Submitted by jefffrater1 t3_ys0hxz in explainlikeimfive
I’m looking at a map of Washington State and I see lakes named Lake Washington, Lake Union and Lake Sammamish. And other names are Moses Lake, Deer Lake and Loon Lake. Is there a rationale for why some times the name precedes “lake” in the title and other times it follows? Or was it random on the part of who picked the name originally and tradition just stuck.