Google puts Trump's 'Lake America' on US maps but Canadians still see Lake Ontario

WASHINGTON, DC: Google officially began rolling out 'Lake America' on Sunday, August 30, on Google Maps for users in the United States, replacing 'Lake Ontario' on the US version of the mapping service. 

The change follows the formal renaming of the lake in the US Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the name change.

Canadian users will continue to see 'Lake Ontario'.

Google puts 'Lake America' on US maps

In an official statement, Google said the new name is being introduced in accordance with its policy of reflecting geographic names found in official government sources.

That means Maps users in the United States will see “Lake America,” while users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario.”

People accessing Google Maps from countries outside the US and Canada will see both names.

Google said the approach follows its long-standing practice for bodies of water and other geographic features that carry different names in different countries.

The company has used a similar location-based system for other disputed or country-specific geographic names.

The change was welcomed by the White House.

Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, posted on X: “It’s official! LAKE AMERICA on Google Maps.”

The change puts the new name in front of millions of Americans who use Google Maps for directions, travel plans and everyday searches.

Trump ordered the name change

President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America', arguing that the lake plays an important role in US economic and strategic interests.

The order points to American investment, shipping activity and infrastructure tied to the Great Lakes region.

Trump had first floated the idea two days earlier, amid an increasingly tense trade dispute with Canada.

In a post on Truth Social, he said the US was considering the change because it did not expect to be “doing much business with Ontario any longer.”

Under the order, the Interior Department, working with the Board on Geographic Names, is required to update the federal Geographic Names Information System and replace references to Lake Ontario in federal government materials.

The move changes how the lake is officially identified by the US government, but it does not have the power to dictate what Canada calls it.