Adopted 28 July 1945 on C. 3579 as labelled on Trutch's 1871 map of British Columbia, and on BC map 2A, 1913; re-approved 2 June 1949 on 92 F/7.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Cameron Lake named in 1860 by Captain Richards, HMS Plumper, after the Honourable David Cameron (1804 - 1872), Chief Justice of Vancouver Island. Appointed 2 December 1853; resigned 11 October 1865. He was the first judge of the colony but was not originally a professional man. Cameron was born in Scotland and carried on business as a cloth merchant in Perth until 1830 before becoming involved in sugarcane planting at Demerara (Guyana). Married Cecelia, sister of Sir James Douglas. Came to Vancouver Island July 1853, having been given a postion at Nanaimo in the Hudson's Bay Company. When the question of the union of the two colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia was being agitated, it was felt that the judicial offices should be filled by men who had a professional training, which consideration moved him to retire. Died at Belmont (Esquimalt) 14 May 1872.

Source: Walbran, John T; British Columbia Coast Names, 1592-1906: their origin and history; Ottawa, 1909 (republished for the Vancouver Public Library by J.J. Douglas Ltd, Vancouver, 1971)

"...soon after Cameron and his family arrived at Nanaimo, Douglas appointed him as a temporary judge. In 1856 the Colonial Office, on Douglas's recommendation, approved Cameron's appointment as Chief Justice of Vancouver Island, an action which contributed to the charges of nepotism levied against Douglas. In fact, Cameron was a successful judge, even though he had never been trained in the law."

Source: Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; British Columbia Place Names; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997