Map of Lake Ontario and surrounding regions, including Toronto, Kingston, Buffalo, and Rochester

Google Maps Renames Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ for U.S. Users After Trump Executive Order

The change, part of an escalating trade feud with Canada, follows a similar renaming of the Gulf of Mexico last year


Google Maps has changed the name of “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” for U.S. users, following President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the smallest of the five Great Lakes.

The president announced the name change on Thursday as part of an intensifying trade dispute with Canada that has seen the two countries impose reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars in goods. The executive order affects the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which sets the standard for official U.S. maps.

“Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the U.S., people using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names,” Google said in a blog post issued on Saturday.

The tech giant made a similar change to the Gulf of Mexico last year, labeling it the “Gulf of America” following Trump’s executive order on his first day in office renaming the body of water.

The renaming has drawn sharp criticism from Canadian and American officials alike. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney immediately rejected the lake’s name change on Thursday. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, which shares a long border with Canada, declared that “New York won’t be calling it that,” while Phil Scott, the Republican governor of neighboring Vermont, called Trump’s decision “petty and disappointing” on social media.

The premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, on Saturday unveiled a large lakeside sign that reads, “Lake Ontario: Now and Always,” in both English and French. “President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you, the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario,” Ford said.

The White House, Carney’s office and Ford’s office did not immediately comment on Sunday on Google’s decision.


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