This lake was historically named Chaychast (Persian: چیچست). Later, it was named "Urmia" by the Assyrian people. The word "Urmia" consists of two parts: "ur" means city and "mia" means water. "Urmia" was the name given to the city of Urmia, which is near this lake. The lake was then named Lake Urmia, after the name given to the city. In the early years of the 20th century, it was named "Rezaiyeh Lake" after the name of Reza Pahlavi, the king of Iran. After the Islamic Revolution, its name was changed back to "Urmia Lake".