The identification was proposed by Ruge based on the location of Ceretapa, as the lake in question is located near the ruins of the city. However, from a linguistic point of view, the masculine gender of the name, as well as the image, suggests the name of a river god, i.e. of a river. With very few exceptions, the names of lakes are feminine, which is consistent with the feminine gender of the noun for lake in Ancient Greek.

In his commentary on the root Αυλο-, Αυλου-, D. Detschew cites the name as a Phrygian divine name formed from this root. J. Tischler defines the name as of Asia Minor origin, and includes it in the list of Thracian names with a question mark. Indeed, determining the linguistic affiliation is difficult: the root Αυλο- is very characteristic of Thrace, but it is also found in Anatolia, while its location in Phrygia is outside the usual territory of Thracian names in Asia Minor.