Google Maps has begun displaying “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Great Lake amid an escalating trade dispute with Canada. ([blog.google](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/gnis-lake-ontario-lake-america-name-change/?utm_source=openai))
The mapping service said the change was being rolled out because the US Geographic Names Information System, the country’s official database for geographical names, had formally adopted “Lake America”.
Users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario”, while those elsewhere will be shown both names, Google said in a blog post published on Saturday. The company said its policy was to reflect official government naming sources while recognising that geographical features can have different names in different countries. ([blog.google](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/gnis-lake-ontario-lake-america-name-change/?utm_source=openai))
Mr Trump signed the executive order on Thursday, directing the US Interior Department and the Board on Geographic Names to complete the renaming process and update federal maps, documents and communications within 30 days. The order does not alter Canadian naming conventions or oblige other countries to adopt the new name. ([whitehouse.gov](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/honoring-the-american-history-of-the-great-lakes-and-renaming-lake-ontario-as-lake-america-3a36/?utm_source=openai))
The move came as Washington and Ottawa imposed reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars of goods, deepening tensions between the two long-standing allies.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the change, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by unveiling a large lakeside sign reading “Lake Ontario: Now and Always” in 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,” Mr Ford said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, whose state shares a long border with Canada, also dismissed the renaming, saying: “New York won’t be calling it that.” Vermont Governor Phil Scott described the decision as “petty and disappointing”.
Google made a similar adjustment to its maps last year after Mr Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America” for US government purposes. ([blog.google](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/gnis-lake-ontario-lake-america-name-change/?utm_source=openai))
