Google Maps Renames Lake Ontario as Lake America for Users in the United States

Google Maps has begun calling Lake Ontario “Lake America” for users in the United States, turning a symbolic naming dispute between Washington and Ottawa into a visible difference on digital maps.

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The U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has formally changed the name for 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' in the United States.

The change followed the US Geographic Names Information System’s formal adoption of the new name after President Donald Trump ordered the renaming. Google said it updates Maps according to official government sources, which means US users will see Lake America, while users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario. People outside the United States and Canada will see both names, with Lake America in parentheses after Lake Ontario.

Google described the move as consistent with its long-standing policy for bodies of water whose names differ between countries. Lake Ontario is shared by Canada and the United States and falls under the Boundary Waters Treaty, which was created to prevent and resolve disputes over shared waters. The US government can change the terminology it uses for geographic landmarks, but it cannot require other countries to adopt the same name.

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Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the U.S., people using Maps in the U.S. will see 'Lake America'; those in Canada will continue to see 'Lake Ontario.'

Other mapping services had not followed Google. Waze and Apple Maps still identified the lake as Lake Ontario, and MapQuest said on social media, “We're not changing it.”

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We're not changing it.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford staged a public rebuttal on the Canadian shore. In Grimsby, he unveiled a 24-by-12-foot billboard-style sign carrying “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” in English and French, alongside the French wording “Lac Ontario - Aujourd'hui et pour toujours.” Ford called the lake “a crown jewel of our province and our country.” The dispute grew out of an increasingly hostile exchange between Ford and Trump, who traded personal insults before the renaming took effect.

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I'm here on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario, a crown jewel of our province and our country.