Google Maps Renames Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' in US After Trump Order

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Google Maps has begun displaying Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s order to rename the lake amid escalating trade tensions between the US and Canada.

The change follows an executive order signed by Trump on Thursday directing US federal agencies to use “Lake America” in official documents and records. The US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has subsequently formally changed the name in the United States.

Google said the update began rolling out on Saturday.

“Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the US, people using Maps in the US will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names,” Google said, as quoted by DW.

“These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now.”

The lake stretches between the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. The name change has no effect on how Canada officially refers to the lake, while users outside the US and Canada will see both names on Google Maps.

Canada Rejects New Name

The renaming has drawn a strong response from Canadian officials, who have rejected the US name and continued to refer to the body of water as Lake Ontario.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pointed to the Indigenous origins of the lake’s name.

“The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big,’” Carney wrote on social media, as cited by Al Jazeera.

“The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.”

Carney added that despite changes in US trade and foreign policy, “naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also dismissed Trump’s renaming order.

According to DW, on Saturday, Ford unveiled a large sign at Fifty Point Conservation Area in Grimsby, Ontario, reading “Lake Ontario: Now and always” in 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.

Ford later described the renaming effort as something “out of Saturday Night Live,” referring to the US comedy show created and produced by Canadian Lorne Michaels.

The new US name has also appeared on some Canadian government websites that use Google Maps data. Ontario Public Services Minister Stephen Crawford said the provincial government was reviewing its websites to ensure they continued to identify the lake as Lake Ontario.

“Some Ontario government agency websites pull map data directly from Google Maps,” Crawford said.

“Following recent changes by Google, we're actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario.”

Another Trump Geographic Renaming

Google’s decision follows its handling of Trump’s previous attempt to rename a major body of water, as reported by The Independent.

In 2025, Google Maps began displaying “Gulf of America” for users in the United States after Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico renamed. Users in Mexico continued to see “Gulf of Mexico,” while users elsewhere could see both names.

The Lake America controversy comes as Washington and Ottawa remain locked in a trade dispute. Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, while Canada has responded with retaliatory measures. The two countries have also clashed over Trump’s repeated suggestion that Canada could become the 51st US state.

For now, the lake effectively has different names depending on where it is viewed: Lake America on Google Maps in the United States, Lake Ontario in Canada, and both names for users elsewhere.