Monday, August 31, 2026 - Google Maps has updated its platform to display “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the lake.
Google says the change reflects an update to the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which officially changed the name in the United States. Users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while users outside the U.S. and Canada will see both names.
The change is limited by location and comes amid escalating tensions between the United States and Canada.
The renaming follows a recent executive order from Trump and mirrors the earlier change from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The lake is shared by Ontario, Canada, and New York, United States, making the naming dispute particularly sensitive for both countries.
The decision has already drawn criticism and mockery in Canada and the United States, with Canadian leaders rejecting the new name. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has publicly reaffirmed the name “Lake Ontario,” while other mapping services have not followed the change.
For people using Google Maps, the name displayed will now depend on their location, creating different labels for the same body of water across North America.
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