Google Maps Changes Lake Ontario’s Name to “Lake America” for U.S. Users
In an unexpected development, Google Maps has altered the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users in the United States. This modification follows an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump to officially change the lake’s name within the nation.
According to the Associated Press, Google mentioned that the choice to revise the name adheres to its routine practice of utilizing names specified by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. Thus, while users in the U.S. will observe “Lake America,” users in Canada will still see “Lake Ontario” on Google Maps. The company highlighted that these updates are consistent with their long-standing policy of adjusting water body names based on regional naming conventions and that the changes are being put into effect immediately.
Notably, users outside of Canada and the U.S. will be able to access both names, offering a more thorough perspective on the lake’s identity.
The update was implemented shortly after Trump’s executive order on August 27, which sought to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in official U.S. terminology. However, this action is limited to domestic scope; while Washington has the power to rename geographic features for federal purposes, it cannot require Canada to adopt the new designation. Lake Ontario, which is located between New York State and the Canadian province of Ontario, continues to be a bi-national water body with the border running through it.
This renaming is part of a larger trend of rebranding efforts initiated by President Trump, including prior initiatives such as renaming locations like “America’s Gulf” and Mount McKinley to “Denali,” as well as changing names of governmental departments like the “War Department.”
