Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for US users after Trump ordered name change
Aug 30, 2026, 3:00 PM | Updated: 6:08 pm
FILE - A sign is displayed on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Google has updated its maps application to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ for users in the United States, reflecting a recent order by President Donald Trump that changed the name of the lake, the global technology giant says.
The Google Maps update comes days after Trump’s order amid an escalating trade war with Canada that has led both countries to impose billions of dollars in added tariffs on each other’s goods. It echoes what Google did in 2025 when Trump issued an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Google said in a blog post Saturday that the decision was based on its practice of using names assigned by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, also known as GNIS.
“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 brief statement. “These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now.”
Trump’s decision Thursday to rename the lake was met with mockery and indifference in both Canada and the United States. On Saturday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to Trump’s order with a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shore: “Lake Ontario. Now and forever.”
The White House, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ford’s office did not immediately comment Sunday on Google’s decision.
The internet company runs a leading search engine and major digital advertising network and is based in Mountain View, California. Its parent company is Alphabet Inc.
