Google Maps renames Lake Ontario 'Lake America' in US, but not Canada

Google said it made its change in line with the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the official federal database for geographic names.

Google said it made its change in line with the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the official federal database for geographic names.

Google updated its Maps application on Sunday in adherence with an executive order President Donald Trump signed on Thursday that renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America. Titled, “Honoring the American history of the Great Lakes and renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America,” the order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum t

The tech giant followed President Donald Trump’s lead, as it did with the Gulf of Mexico last year.

The decision was prompted by a change in the official US government geographic naming system, the company said.

A geographer explains the politics and procedures behind renaming American places.

Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in US searches  CNN

People using the application will see the new name in U.S., but will see Lake Ontario in Canada. Outside of North America, users will see both names for the lake.

The company said it updates Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which includes the U.S. Geographic Names Information System.

Premier of Ontario walk back personal insults but doubles down on refusal to recognize Great Lakes name change

“It’s absolutely backwards,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford says after Google adopts “Lake America” for US users while Canada still sees Lake Ontario.

Donald Trump has changed "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America." Google has followed suit.

Google Maps has updated to display "Lake America" when people in the United States search for the name.

Tech giant says name to remain Lake Ontario for Canadian users, change reflects decision by US government agency.

Tech giant says move follows 'long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country'

Google Maps has controversially renamed Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ for US users, sparking outrage from Canadian officials amid escalating trade tension

Company says U.S. Geographic Names Information System spurred change in America, and that Canadians users would continue to see Lake Ontario on their maps

After Donald Trump’s executive order demanding the name change, Google is the first major online maps provider to flip the switch.

The company made the same change to the Gulf of Mexico last year.

People in Canada will still see Lake Ontario, the Indigenous-rooted name used for the lake since the 17th century, on their devices and computers, the US-based tech giant said.

People in Canada will still see Lake Ontario, the Indigenous-rooted name used for the lake since the 17th century, on their devices and computers, the US-based tech giant said.

If you’re a Google Map user in the United States, you’ll now see the name “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario,” just days after President Trump’s executive order renaming the body of water amid his ongoing trade war with Canada. In an announcement published late on Saturday, Google explained that it “reflect[s] nam

Trump announced on Thursday that he was changing the name of the smallest of the five Great Lakes, as part of an escalating trade feud with Canada.

Meanwhile, Trump posts video of himself kicking over a Lake Ontario sign and replacing it with Lake America sign Donald Trump and Canada continued a verbal duel on Saturday over the US government’s administrative renaming of Lake Ontario, with the country erecting a giant sign saying “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” – an

President Trump's order to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" is stirring up more controversy, as tech companies decide whether to comply or not. The big picture: Google and other digital map providers—like MapQuest and Apple—have split on whether to accept the name change or keep Lake Ontario on their maps. Driv

Google Maps will show 'Lake America' in US, not 'Lake Ontario'  Reuters

Google Maps said it changed the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" after the US Geographic Names Information System, the federal government's official database of place names, did the same. Bloomberg/Getty Images Google Maps now shows "Lake America" to US users after Trump ordered the name change. Canadian users w

Google Maps made a similar change to the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, labelling it the Gulf of America.

Google Maps on Saturday changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for U.S. users, while keeping the name intact for Canadian Google users and carrying both names for international users, following President Trump’s executive order to rename the Great Lake. The tech giant cited its name change to the U.S. Geogr

Google updates maps to display Lake Ontario as Lake America in U.S.  Toronto Star

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has unveiled a giant billboard reading: "Lake Ontario — Now and Always." But tech giant Google has said it is renaming the lake for U.S. users, as President Trump demanded.

It'll still show up as Lake Ontario for Maps users in Canada.

Trump’s order affects the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which sets the standards for official U.S. maps

Google Maps Now Shows Lake Ontario As ‘Lake America’  Forbes

Google announced that it had begun rolling out changes to how its maps display Lake Ontario's name, after President Trump signed an executive order changing it to "Lake America."

Users in the United States will see the new label, following President Trump’s executive order last week.

Google began displaying “Lake America” in place of “Lake Ontario” for U.S. users of Google Maps on Saturday, complying with an executive order President Donald Trump signed Thursday amid an escalating trade dispute with Canada. The order directs the Interior Department to update the U.S. Geographic Names Information Sy

Donald Trump’s “Lake America” decree was met across the border Saturday with a billboard-sized message on the opposing shoreline declaring “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” as Canadian leaders responded to the president's move with varying degrees of shock, despair and downright disdain.

ONTARIO premier Doug Ford answered President Donald Trump’s “Lake America” decree with a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shoreline – Lake Ontario. Now and Always – as Canadian leaders met the move with ridicule rather than outrage

Rob Gillies, Associated Press Ontario premier Doug Ford answered President Donald Trump’s “Lake America” decree with a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shoreline — Lake Ontario. Now and Always — as Canadian leaders met the move with ridicule rather than outrage. Wearing a Team Canada football shirt, Mr Ford unve

A Canadian premier also compared Trump to an ageing rock band trying to revive an old hit.

US president Donald Trump is continuing to tout his renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America following his executive order on Thursday, with a celebration of the rebrand on Saturday coming in the form of a bizarre AI-generated video of gun-toting Canada geese sporting Trump’s familiar hairstyle, and marching in Lake Am

Wearing a Team Canada football shirt, Doug Ford unveiled the sign near Grimsby, Ontario.

Ontario premier Doug FordIn a unique move, Doug Ford, premier of Canada's Ontario province, has put up a large banner along the shores of Lake Ontario, reading “Lake Ontario: Now and Always” in English and French.The move comes in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to "rename" Lake Ontario as “Lake

Lake Ontario will appear as “Lake America” on Google Maps, the company said - but only to users in the United States.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has hit back at Donald Trump by installing a large sign on Canada's shoreline with the message: "Lake Ontario. Now and Always."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a billboard on Canada's shoreline with the message: "Lake Ontario. Now and Always."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford answers US President Donald Trump’s “Lake America” decree with a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shoreline.

Ontario Premier Answers Trump’s ‘Lake America’ With Giant ‘Lake Ontario’ Sign  HuffPost

Ontario premier answers Trump’s ‘Lake America’ with giant ‘Lake Ontario’ sign  AP News

Ontario Premier Doug Ford answered President Donald Trump’s “Lake America” decree with a giant message on the Canadian shoreline: “Lake Ontario

Ontario premier answers Trump’s ‘Lake America’ with giant ‘Lake Ontario’ sign

The tribe invokes a 232-year-old treaty as Trump celebrates the proposed name change with bizarre AI memes

Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario is symbolic political theater aimed at diverting our attention away from the fallout of his trade war with Canada, write Reuben Rose-Redwood and Derek Alderman.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged that Lake Ontario will continue to be called by that name, after US President Donald Trump said he was renaming it as 'Lake America'.

Can Trump just rename Lake Ontario to Lake America? What comes next  USA Today

The Great Lake’s name could change on your map app depending on what side of the US-Canada border you’re on.

President Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 27, 2026, to rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America' amid an ongoing trade war between the U.S. and Canada. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images On Aug. 27, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America,” claiming his administration had alr

Canada Rejects Trump’s Ridiculous ‘Lake America’ Rebranding  New York Magazine

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 27 to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America', a change he said would take effect immediately. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took to X, writing the Great Lake's name will remain 'now and always'. The order comes after US-Canada trade talks collapsed last

Sam Stein and Andrew Egger went live to cover Trump order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” They give their takes on the absurdity of it, the cost, and why Trump’s latest map-making stunt is a perfect snapshot of a president who seems increasingly out of ideas and out of touch. Plus, they dig into Trump’s bizar

Donald Trump has said he will rename Lake Ontario as ⁠Lake America in the US following the escalating trade war with Canada.