Google Maps renames Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for US users after Trump order

Google Maps has begun calling Lake Ontario "Lake America" for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump's order directing US federal agencies to use the new name.

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The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.’

The US Geographic Names Information System formally changed the name in the United States. Google said it began rolling out the update on Saturday because Maps reflects names in official government sources. Users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario, while people outside the United States and Canada will see both names.

The change has drawn a sharp response from Canadian officials. Prime Minister Mark Carney cited the Indigenous origins of the name Ontario, saying it comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io and is more than 400 years old. He said that naming reality means calling the lake Lake Ontario "then, now and always."

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The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also dismissed the order. He unveiled a sign at Fifty Point Conservation Area in Grimsby reading "Lake Ontario: Now and always" in English and French, and said the rest of the world would continue to use the Canadian name. He later compared the renaming effort to something "out of Saturday Night Live."

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Naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario, then, now and always.

The new label has appeared on some Canadian government websites that use Google Maps data. Ontario Public Services Minister Stephen Crawford said the provincial government was reviewing those websites to ensure they continued to identify the lake as Lake Ontario.

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President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you, the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario.