Google Maps is now displaying “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario for users in the United States, following a Trump administration order that changed the name for US federal government use. The update creates a location-based split for a lake that forms part of the US-Canada border.
The federal government’s Geographic Names Information System was updated with the new designation. Google says Maps follows official naming sources in each country: US users see Lake America, Canadian users continue to see Lake Ontario, and users in other regions are shown both names.
Canada does not recognize the new name. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the lake remains Lake Ontario in Canada, a position also backed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has also opposed the renaming. While a US president can set terminology for federal agencies, that does not require Canada or other countries to adopt it.
Google used a similar regional-labeling approach in 2025, when it changed Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America for US-based Maps users. Other mapping services have not moved in lockstep on the Lake Ontario change: Apple Maps still showed Lake Ontario at the time of the announcement, Waze had retained the existing name, and MapQuest said it did not plan to change its label.
