Mountain View, California — Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users in the United States following President Donald Trump’s executive order directing federal agencies to adopt the new name.
Google said the change reflects an update to the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, the federal database it uses for official place names. Users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while users in other countries will generally see both names.
Trump ordered the renaming as tensions with Canada intensified over tariffs and trade. The move applies to U.S. federal usage and does not require Canada or state governments to recognize the new designation.
Several Canadian officials criticized the change, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford. U.S. governors from Great Lakes states have also pushed back, with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul saying her state would continue using Lake Ontario.
Google followed a similar approach after Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” showing different labels depending on a user’s location.
The company said its longstanding policy is to update names after they appear in official government geographic databases. The change therefore reflects federal naming policy rather than an independent decision by Google about what the lake should be called.
Sources
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