Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in US searches

U.S. residents searching for Lake Ontario on Google Maps will now encounter the name "Lake America" as of this weekend, following President Donald Trump's executive order on Thursday. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) of the United States formally changed the lake's name to "Lake America," according to Google. When users in the U.S. access Google Maps, they will see "Lake America," while those in Canada will continue to see "Lake Ontario."

The company noted that users outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names, with "Lake America" appearing in parentheses after "Lake Ontario." This change comes after Trump's administration celebrated the modification on social media, with White House Communications Director Steven Chueng writing, "It's official! LAKE AMERICA on Google Maps."

Trump also posted a link to an article about the change. Lake Ontario is shared between Canada and the United States under the Boundary Waters Treaty, which was established in the early 20th century to resolve disputes over the shared waters. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has stated that his country will always refer to the lake as "Lake Ontario."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford emphasized the lake's Canadian heritage by unveiling a sign with "Lake Ontario" in large letters, followed by "Now and Always," and posted a video about it on social media. Trump's executive order marks his latest attempt to rebrand geographic locations, as he previously changed "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America" on his first day in office.

Other map services, such as Waze and Apple Maps, still display the lake as "Lake Ontario" as of Sunday afternoon.