Google Maps has officially changed the name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for users in the United States, following an executive order by President Donald Trump to rename the lake, which included an update to the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The tech giant confirmed the change in a brief statement, saying that users in the US will see 'Lake America,' while those in Canada will continue to see 'Lake Ontario,' and users outside both countries will see both names.
Google explained that the update aligns with its long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary by country, and the rollout has already begun. This move echoes Google's 2025 decision to label the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America,' which prompted a lawsuit from Mexico. The renaming of Lake Ontario, a name derived from the Indigenous Wendat word 'Ontari'io' meaning 'big, beautiful lake,' has ignited tensions amid an ongoing trade war between the US and Canada.
The trade war, initiated by Trump, saw weeks of negotiations between the two nations, but Canada withdrew after Prime Minister Mark Carney complained of 'last-minute changes' that were 'unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.' Carney cited US objections to French product labeling laws and French content requirements for streaming services in Quebec as sticking points.
In response, Ontario Premier Doug Ford erected a billboard on the lake's shore reading '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 asserted. Despite the pushback, the new name has inadvertently appeared on some Canadian government websites that pull map data from Google Maps, including the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which had removed American alcohol from shelves as part of the trade war.
Ontario's Public Services Minister Stephen Crawford acknowledged the issue, stating that some provincial agency websites directly pull map data from Google Maps, and they are actively reviewing their sites to ensure they all identify the lake by its correct name: Lake Ontario. The controversy highlights the broader geopolitical friction between the US and Canada, with the renaming seen as a symbolic act in a strained relationship.
Source: www.dw.com