Google Maps has updated its label for “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” for users in the United States, a move the company says follows President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the lake.
Trump said Thursday that he was changing the name of the smallest of the five Great Lakes, a decision that comes amid a deepening trade dispute with Canada. The clash has already led both countries to slap reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of goods.
The executive order applies to the US Geographic Names Information System, known as GNIS, which establishes the standard names used on official US maps. It does not alter Canada’s naming rules, nor does it determine how the lake is identified elsewhere in the world.
“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 in a blog post published Saturday.
The White House, Carney’s office and Ford’s office did not immediately respond Sunday to requests for comment on Google’s decision.
Google Maps made a comparable update last year involving the Gulf of Mexico, displaying it as the “Gulf of America” after Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office renaming the body of water.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney quickly rejected the lake’s new name on Thursday. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat whose state shares an extensive border with Canada, said “New York won’t be calling it that,” while Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican from the neighboring state, criticized Trump’s move on social media as “petty and disappointing.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded Saturday by unveiling a large sign near the lakeshore 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 said.
