I mean the Great Lakes are truly inland freshwater oceans with tides, imense international shipping, famous shipwrecks, forgotten shipwrecks, folk songs about famous shipwrecks and even piracy

So the term “great lakes” clearly communicates that these are lakes (freshwater, not hydrologically connected to the ocean) but also that these are notable lakes as the “great” indicates the size, notability and gives a sense of wonder

I have no clue how they are supposed to be name. In French, we call the place “la région des grands lacs” and I was pretty sure I got the english name right.

Edit: According to Wikipedia, I’ve only forgot an s at Lakes.