Google Maps Renames Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ for Users in the US

By Staff, Agencies

Google Maps users in the United States will now see Lake Ontario labeled as “Lake America,” following an executive order by President Donald Trump officially changing the lake’s name in the US.

Google announced that the lake, which lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and New York state, will be displayed differently depending on a user's location. US users will see “Lake America,” Canadians will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while users elsewhere will see “Lake Ontario [Lake America].”

The company said the update followed the lake’s official renaming in the US Geographic Names Information System and reflected its established approach to geographical features whose names differ between countries.

The decision has sparked a mixed response from technology companies. MapQuest said it would continue using “Lake Ontario,” while also creating a satirical tool allowing users to choose their own name for the lake. Apple Maps had not adopted the new designation as of Sunday.

The name change comes amid worsening relations between the United States and Canada. Trump signed the executive order after trade negotiations between the two countries broke down, with Washington and Ottawa imposing retaliatory tariffs on certain products. Canadian officials have also encouraged consumers to favor Canadian goods and travel, while Trump has repeatedly revived his suggestion that Canada could become the 51st US state.

Democratic lawmakers have strongly opposed the renaming. Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan said she plans to introduce the “Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act,” which would seek to reverse the executive order. Other Democratic lawmakers are also reportedly considering legislation to challenge the change.

Canadian leaders have similarly rejected the new name. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians would continue calling the body of water Lake Ontario “then, now and always.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford reinforced that position by unveiling a large bilingual sign overlooking the lake in Winona, Ontario, reading “Lake Ontario Now and Always.” Ford later criticized the US name change, saying the lake had been known as Lake Ontario for centuries and would continue to be called that in Canada.

The Google Maps update has also affected some Canadian government and business websites that use embedded Google mapping services. Ontario officials said they were reviewing their websites to ensure that the lake continued to be identified as Lake Ontario.

Google previously followed a similar approach after Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America” in 2025. The company displayed the new name for US users while retaining “Gulf of Mexico” for users in Mexico and showing both names elsewhere.

Apple later adopted the “Gulf of America” designation for its US users. Mexico subsequently filed a lawsuit against Google, arguing that the US government could not unilaterally rename areas of the gulf beyond US jurisdiction. The case remains pending.

Google and Apple also changed the US designation of North America's highest peak from Denali to Mount McKinley following another Trump executive order in 2025. MapQuest, meanwhile, has continued using the traditional names for both Denali and the Gulf of Mexico.