Google Maps has begun displaying “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario” for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Great Lake.
The change highlights a growing divide between the United States and Canada over what the body of water should be called. Google said its mapping service is following the naming used in the U.S. government’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which establishes official geographic names for federal purposes.
Under Google’s new policy, the lake will appear as “Lake America” to users in the United States. People accessing Google Maps from Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario”, while users elsewhere in the world will see both names.
“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 statement.
Trump announced the renaming on Thursday, extending a series of symbolic geographic changes pursued by his administration. The decision comes amid a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Canadian relations, with the two countries engaged in a broader trade dispute that has resulted in reciprocal tariffs affecting billions of dollars in goods.
The executive order applies to U.S. government naming conventions and does not alter Canada’s official use of the name Lake Ontario. Canadian authorities have made clear that they have no intention of adopting the American terminology.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the change shortly after Trump’s announcement. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also dismissed the new name, making the dispute a highly visible symbol of the political tensions between the neighboring countries.
On Saturday, Ford unveiled a large sign on the Canadian shoreline bearing the words “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.
The response has also spread to U.S. states bordering the lake. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said her state would continue to use the traditional name. Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, described Trump's decision as “petty and disappointing.”
Google made a similar adjustment last year after Trump ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” The company subsequently displayed the new designation for users in the United States while retaining the existing name for users in Mexico and showing both names elsewhere.
The latest change is already creating complications for Canadian institutions. Ontario minister Stephen Crawford said Sunday that the province was reviewing government websites after “Lake America” began appearing on some online services, including the website of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
The naming dispute comes as Ontario and other Canadian jurisdictions continue to respond to the trade confrontation with Washington. The LCBO, one of the world's largest purchasers of alcoholic beverages, has stopped stocking U.S. alcohol as part of Canada's response to the tariffs.
While Trump's order changes how the lake is identified on official U.S. maps and services such as Google Maps, it cannot determine what Canada calls the lake — leaving the body of water with different official names on either side of the border. Photo by Joe deSousa, Wikimedia commons.
