Google Maps Renames Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for U.S. Users

Google Maps has adopted “Lake America” for users in the United States, but the name stops at the border. Canadians will continue to see Lake Ontario, turning a presidential renaming order into a split-screen digital dispute.

The change came days after Donald Trump ordered U.S. authorities to rename the lake. The U.S. Geographic Names Information System then changed its official designation, and Google adjusted its U.S. maps to match that database. Elsewhere in the world, Google displays both Lake Ontario and Lake America in parentheses.

Canada does not recognize the new name. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the lake, shared by Canada and the United States, will remain Lake Ontario “forever.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the point more visibly on the Canadian shore, unveiling a bilingual sign reading “Lake Ontario: Now and Always.” He said the lake had carried that name long before Trump and would continue to do so long after Trump’s departure.

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forever

The dispute has also slipped into Canadian government websites. Some agencies automatically import map information from Google, causing the name Lake America to appear even though Google’s Canadian version still shows Lake Ontario. One affected site belonged to Ontario’s Liquor Control Board, which manages alcohol sales in the province and had removed American alcoholic products from its shelves during a trade dispute with the United States.

The name Ontario comes from “Ontari'io,” a Wendat word meaning “great, beautiful lake.” The lake later gave its name to the Canadian province.

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Lake Ontario: Now and Always