What to know
- Canada is home to plenty of unusually named streets, lakes and communities, with their origins ranging from local usage to historical figures and land development.
- Historian Ronald Stagg says smaller lakes may take their names from people living nearby, while street names have often been determined by governments, developers or landowners.
- Some unusual names stick because they become part of local tradition and give a place a distinctive identity.
- Place names can also become controversial as attitudes toward the historical figures they commemorate change.
- Toronto’s recent debates over names such as Dundas and Ryerson show that what gets put on a map can become a much bigger conversation about history and commemoration.
Big Ass Lake. Stupid Lake. Random Street. The Other Street.
They might sound like names someone typed into a map as a joke, but they’re among the unusual names you can stumble across while exploring Canada.
And once you start looking, it’s hard not to wonder: Who actually gets to name a lake or street — and how does something as bizarre as “Stupid Lake” become a name that sticks?
According to Ronald Stagg, professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University, there isn’t one simple answer. Canada’s place names can come from governments, developers, explorers and the people who actually live there — and sometimes, seemingly unusual names become traditions in their own right.
Who actually gets to name a lake?
“There’s no one-size-fits-all, but that’s generally what would happen for smaller lakes; it would often be named by the people in the area,” he said.
While he didn’t know the specific origin of Big Ass Lake’s name, Stagg joked that perhaps someone who found the lake particularly difficult to navigate decided the description fit.
The name often doesn’t change unless it has an offensive meaning.
“It’s fun, and it’s tradition… and people like the idea of having something unique,” Stagg said.
Why are some streets weirdly named?
Typically, street names are chosen by the authorities, such as Queen St for Queen Victoria or King St for our ties to the U.K. Others, such as Jarvis St, are named after developers, like the Jarvis family.
But other names tend to be more unique, whether they ran out of ideas or named some streets after their loved ones.
“I’ve been north of Toronto, and there are two townships called Tiny and Tay. They were named by the first lieutenant governor John Graves Simcoe in the 1790s,” he said. “Tiny and Tay were his dogs.”
But place names can also become the subject of debate when the history behind them is reconsidered.
In Toronto, the Dundas name has faced scrutiny because of Scottish politician Henry Dundas. During a 1792 debate on abolishing the transatlantic slave trade, Dundas amended a motion calling for immediate abolition by adding the word “gradually.”
The City of Toronto says research conducted as part of its recognition review concluded his actions contributed to the perpetuation of slavery.
Toronto initially moved toward renaming Dundas Street and other civic assets bearing the name, but later paused the street renaming. Yonge-Dundas Square has since officially become Sankofa Square.
