 The lake was named by the 8th Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (VUWAE), 1963–64, for physicist Ray A. Hoare, a member of the VUWAE that examined lakes in Taylor, Wright, and Victoria Valleys.Lake Hoare is dammed by the tongue of Canada Glacier, otherwise it would drain into Lake Fryxell, northeast across the glacier tongue.Lake Chad, only southeast of Lake Hoare, sometimes overflows into Lake Hoare.