Google Maps Renames ‘Lake Ontario’ as ‘Lake America,’ Canada Reacts Sharply

WASHINGTON/OTTAWA — Amid escalating diplomatic and trade tensions between the United States and Canada, a new dispute has emerged over geographic naming. Google has changed the name of Lake Ontario — which straddles the US-Canada border — to “Lake America” on its Maps service for American users, following a directive from the US government, while the lake will continue to display its historic name in Canada.
According to Google, the company updates Maps in line with official geographic name changes made by government authorities, which is why US users will now see the lake labeled “Lake America.” Users outside both countries will see the dual listing “Lake Ontario (Lake America).”
The change follows an official redesignation by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use the name “Lake America” for the body of water. This is not the first such move — in January 2025, the Trump administration similarly renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
Canada has strongly pushed back against the change. Ontario Premier Doug Ford installed a new “Lake Ontario” road sign to preserve the lake’s historic identity, while Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the US decision, noting that the name “Ontario” originates from the Wendat, an Indigenous nation of North America.
The naming dispute comes as trade tensions between the two countries intensify. Canada is preparing to impose retaliatory tariffs of 15 to 50 percent on roughly $20 billion worth of US imports starting September 8, following the breakdown of trade talks between the two countries. The US had earlier imposed 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods worth about C$27.6 billion on August 22.