Google Maps relabels Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' following Trump order
Following an August 2026 executive order by President Donald Trump, Google Maps has renamed Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for users in the United States. The renaming stems from an ongoing tariff dispute with Canada. While Google updated its platform to align with the US Geographic Names Information System database, other providers like Apple and Bing are still updating, and MapQuest has refused to make the change. This follows a similar 2025 dispute where the Gulf of Mexico was renamed the 'Gulf of America.'
Google Maps Lake America rebrand
▪Google stated that users in the United States will see "Lake America," users in Canada will see "Lake Ontario," and users outside both countries will see both names
▪Alphabet Inc.'s Google Maps relabeled Lake Ontario as "Lake America" for users in the United States on August 29, 2026
▪Google stated that the renaming of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on Google Maps was prompted by a change in the official United States government geographic naming system
Trump executive order renaming
▪President Donald Trump ordered the renaming of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amid an ongoing feud over tariffs with Canada, whose province of Ontario borders the lake
▪The United States federal government's Geographic Names Information System database showed a note on August 30, 2026, that its maps were in the process of being updated to "Lake America."
▪President Donald Trump issued an executive order on August 27, 2026, ordering the rebranding of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" in official United States government databases
Map provider naming policies
▪MapQuest declined to rename Lake Ontario, stating in a social media post in response to President Donald Trump's order that the company would not change the name
▪Private map providers are not legally bound to use official names but generally follow United States government databases like the Geographic Names Information System
▪Apple Maps and Bing Maps had not reflected the change to "Lake America" as of August 30, 2026, but were expected to do so
Gulf of Mexico precedent
▪Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other map providers adopted the "Gulf of America" name after the United States Department of the Interior updated its records in early 2025
▪President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January 2025 to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" during a trade dispute with Mexico
OpenStreetMap community debate
▪President Donald Trump's map-renaming efforts generated public debate in open-source mapping communities such as OpenStreetMap, whose technology is used by companies like Uber and Lyft
▪OpenStreetMap recognizes both United States and foreign names, giving organizations using its maps the choice over which name to display
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