Why did Google Maps start showing Lake America instead of Lake Ontario in the United States?

Google said it updated Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, specifically the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. Trump’s executive order triggered the change, and Google applies different labels depending on the user’s location.

How will the lake name appear on Google Maps for users in the U.S., Canada, and other countries?

Users in the U.S. will see Lake America, users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario, and users outside the U.S. and Canada will see both names. Google said the difference reflects how it localizes map labels from official sources.

How have Canadian officials reacted to Trump renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America?

Mark Carney rejected the change immediately, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the rest of the world would always call it Lake Ontario. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said New York would not use the new name, and Ontario later reviewed government websites that use Google Maps data.

Google Maps now shows 'Lake America' in US, not 'Lake Ontario'

Listen

Summary

Google Maps changed Lake Ontario to Lake America for U.S. users after President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the lake. Google said U.S. users will see Lake America, Canadian users will keep Lake Ontario, and users elsewhere will see both names. The move comes amid a trade feud with Canada and drew pushback from Canadian and U.S. officials. Ontario said it was reviewing government websites that use Google Maps data.

Key Facts

Trump’s order affects the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, which sets standards for official U.S. maps.
Google said people using Maps in the U.S. will see Lake America, those in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario, and users outside the two countries will see both names.
Google previously made a similar change to the Gulf of Mexico last year, labeling it the Gulf of America after a Trump executive order.
Ontario minister Stephen Crawford said some provincial government websites pull map data directly from Google Maps and are being reviewed to ensure they use Lake Ontario.

By Reuters

Published Sep 1, 2026 1:19 am KST

In the photo of a computer screen, a Google map showing Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America is seen Sunday in St. Louis. AP-Yonhap

Google Maps has changed the name of "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America" for U.S. users to reflect President Donald Trump's executive order renaming the lake, according to a Google statement.

Trump announced on Thursday that he was changing the name of the smallest of the five Great Lakes, part of an escalating trade feud with Canada that has prompted the two countries to impose reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars in goods.

The president's order affects the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which sets the standards for official U.S. maps. It does not have any impact on Canadian naming conventions or how the rest of the world refers to the lake.

"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 blog post issued on Saturday.

The White House, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's office and Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office did not immediately comment on Google's decision on Sunday.

Google Maps made a similar change to the Gulf of Mexico last year, labeling it the "Gulf of America" following Trump's executive order on his first day in office renaming the body of water.

Carney immediately rejected the lake's name change on Thursday. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, which shares a long border with Canada, declared that "New York won't be calling it that," while Phil Scott, the Republican governor of neighboring Vermont, called Trump's decision "petty and disappointing" on social media.

In Ontario, Ford on Saturday unveiled a large lakeside sign that reads, "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.

On Sunday evening, an Ontario minister, Stephen Crawford, said the province was reviewing its websites after Lake America appeared on sites like the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. The LCBO, a major global buyer, is not stocking U.S. alcohol due to the trade war.

"Some Ontario government agency websites pull map data directly from Google Maps," Crawford said on the social media site X. "Following recent changes by Google, we're actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario."

Explore More