What determines if a body of water is called " insert name" Lake or Lake “insert name” such as Lake Michigan, or Houghton Lake? Does it depend on the size of the body of water? If so, what is that size?
On the same note, what determines if it is a large pond or a small lake?
KnK
Around here we have Lake Travis, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Buchanan, and Lake Austin.
We also have Town Lake and Inks Lake. Although Travis and Buchanan are by far larger than the others, the rest compare favorably in size. So size does not determine word order. I think it’s just the whim of who named the lake, and why.
Either way its a porno movie.
This may only apply to Wisconsin and the Greater Great Lakes area where I grew up, but back in fifth grade social studies we were told that if a lake was “Lake XXX” was a sign that the name dated back to the days of French explorers and fur traders. “XXX Lake” meant that the lake wasn’t named until after the French were kicked off the continent in the mid 1700s and the English/Yankees slowly moved in.
This is no doubt, not a hard and fast rule, but the names of the Great Lakes in particular do date back to French explorers. Besides “Michigan Lake” sounds like a couple acre puddle where you have a vacation cottage. “Lake Michigan”…now that’s a lake. 
Great, tramp. Now I’m imagining a porn movie starring Ricki Lake. Thank you so* much. 
Whether that turns out to be true or not, it isn’t supported by British usage, where Lake (or Loch or Lough) generally precede the name of the body of water. In fact I can only think of two examples where Lake comes after the name. The same convention applies to rivers – it’s River Thames, not Thames River.
Someone once told me that the position of ‘lake’ in the name had to do with whether it was man-made. However, that explanation does not seem to hold water, ha ha.
I think I’ve heard the only natural lake in Texas referred to as both Caddo Lake and Lake Caddo. Caddo Lake is what’s on the signs IIRC. Natural vs. Manmade is unlikely, as the manmade lakes around here (all of them but Caddo) have names of both types; also, there’s Lake O’ The Pines, man-made, vs Lake George, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, etc, all natural unless I’m missing something spectacularly important.
My vote is that the position of the word “lake” is arbitrary.
Another vote for arbitrary. In New York, you have Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island, so no French influence there.
There’s also Lake Placid and Mirror Lake, about 1000 feet from from each other in the same town (lots of people think Mirror Lake is Lake Placid, since the main business district of the village is on its shore). (Neither is manmade, BTW).
Two of my favorites – Lake Desolation and Paradox Lake (not far from Zeno’s Paradox Lake – a lovely place, but you can never get there) – put the Lake in both positions.
As far as determining whether a body of water is a lake or a pond, the people living near it decide informally.
We’ve got Lake Jocassee, Lake Keowee, Lake Hartwell, Lake Murray but the Broad River, the Chattooga River, the Green River and the Savanna River.
So, IIUC, if I were to stumble upon a body of water and build a cottage on it, I’d have the say on calling it Pond Lake or Lake Pond or …
KnK:)
… or Roof Pond or Lake Roof or Soggy Cottage Lake or Lake Glub-glub…
Heheh - not enough “lakes” in CelynCountry for me to worry about!