The origin of the lakes’s common name – the ‘Lake of Love’ – is the source of much debate. French novelist and poet Victor Hugo visited Bruges in 1837 and allegedly christened it the Lac d’Amour. It is said he was inspired by the word minne, medieval Dutch for ‘love’. But local legend has it that the minne was in fact a watery ghost: that of Saxon maiden Minna, who fled the home of her father rather than marry the suitor of his choice. When her lover returned from fighting the Romans, he found her dead of cold and hunger by a stream in the woods. He built a dyke, buried her in the ground, then released the water to create a lake over her resting place. *

I shall leave it for you to choose which version you like the best

*Information from Insight Guides – Bruges Smart Guide.