The lake was named after Elwood Mead, who was the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936, during the planning and construction of the Boulder Canyon Project that created the dam and lake.
Danau ini dinamai setelah Elwood Mead, yang merupakan komisaris U.S. Bureau of Reclamation sejak 1924 hingga 1936 selama perencanaan dan pembangunan Boulder Canyon Project yang menghasilkan bendungan dan danau.