The Domínguez–Escalante expedition named it "Laguna de Miera" after Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, a cartographer on their 1776 expedition.
In honor of Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, who was part of the 1776 expedition as a cartographer, the Domínguez–Escalante team named the lake "Laguna de Miera."