Google Renames Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ for Users in the United States

Google Maps is now giving Lake Ontario a different name depending on where users open the app. In the United States, the lake appears as “Lake America,” while Canadian users continue to see “Lake Ontario.” People elsewhere will see both names.

Google said the update follows President Donald Trump’s order to rename the lake and reflects the company’s long-standing practice of using names assigned by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS. The changes began rolling out after the company announced the policy in a blog post.

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People using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names.

The decision arrives amid an escalating trade war between the United States and Canada, with both countries imposing billions of dollars in additional tariffs on each other’s goods. Google made a similar change in 2025, when Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico renamed the Gulf of America.

Trump’s lake-renaming decision drew mockery and indifference on both sides of the border. Ontario Premier Doug Ford answered with a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shore: “Lake Ontario. Now and forever.” The White House, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ford’s office had not immediately commented on Google’s decision.

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Lake Ontario. Now and forever.