Google has changed the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on its Maps interface, but only for users in the US. The change follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last week, instructing the Department of the Interior to make this update. In a statement, Google explained that it is rolling out updates based on the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Canadians will still see Lake Ontario on Google Maps.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-31,
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Google has officially renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America on its Maps interface — at least for people using the app or website in the U.S.
On Saturday, the tech giant announced it had changed the name of the body of water, through which the border with Canada runs, to reflect the most recent update from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
asserted
border → rename → System
That change was initiated by an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump last week, instructing the department of the interior to make it so.
asserted
it → initiate → interior
“These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now,” Google wrote.
asserted
Google → follow → country
What app users will see depends on their country location, as determined by their device’s operating system, SIM, network and current location.
asserted
see → see → system
Desktop and other web viewers are presented information based on individual regional search settings or, failing that, the device’s location as determined by Google.
asserted
viewers → present → Google
That means people in the U.S. should see Trump’s new moniker, Canadians will keep seeing the historically accurate name and the rest of the world will see both names, presented as “Lake Ontario (Lake America).”
National Post contacted Google’s country manager for Canada, Sabrina Geramia, for comment but was directed back to its statement.
In testing other web and app-based mapping services from a Canadian address, Apple Maps users continue to see Lake Ontario.
asserted
users → mean → Ontario
A search for “Lake America” yields America Lake in Brule County, South Dakota and, curiously, Lake Ontario.
asserted
search → yield → County
They followed up by creating an interface that lets users enter their own names for the lake to generate a map image, or have MapQuest create one at random, such as “Lake Oh Canada,” “Lake Double-Double,” and “Lake Not Erie.”
asserted
MapQuest → follow → Canada
Their example, a shot at Trump’s Gulf of America renaming, was “Lake Are We Doing This Again?”
Some of the user replies included names like “Lake of Hormuz,” “Lake Epstein Files,” and “Lake Tariff Tantrum.”
There are other locations around the world where two places have the same name on Google Maps for users from outside those countries.
asserted
places → do → countries
For instance, the British see the Falkland Islands while Argentinians see the South American island chain as Islas Malvinas.
asserted
Argentinians → see → Malvinas
Everyone else gets the English name first, the other in parentheses.
asserted
Everyone → get → parentheses
The same style applies to the long-disputed Persian or Arabian Gulf separating Iran and Saudi Arabia.
asserted
style → apply → Iran
Also on Saturday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford dipped his toes back into the debate by posting a video of himself lakeside next to a new billboard at the Fifty Point Conservation Area in Grimsby that reads “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” in both official languages.
asserted
that → dip → languages
“Just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we have set up a sign to remind them,” Ford said in the 39-second clip in which he also accused the U.S. head of state of making the change because Canada is “standing up” for itself in the trade war with the U.S.
Trump appeared to fire back later Saturday afternoon, posting an AI-generated video of himself kicking over a “Welcome to Lake Ontario” sign along a shoreline and replacing it with one reading “Welcome to America” over the iconic intro to the Peer Gynt suite adapted by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg.
asserted
himself → forget → Grieg
The music then switches to the Village People’s YMCA as Trump performs his signature dance moves.
asserted
Trump → switch → moves
Earlier in the day, he’d posted another AI-generated video of a marching army of Canadian geese with hair similar to Trump’s and holding machine guns in muscled human arms.
asserted
he → post → arms
The video, set to the theme song for the television show Hawaii Five-O, ends with the birds firing their weapons as fireworks soar overhead and the words “Lake America” appear.
asserted
words → set → weapons
The president aired further grievances against Canada on Truth Social Sunday, using the automotive industry as his foil.
asserted
president → air → foil
In a longer post later, he claimed to have “revived, and indeed saved” the American car industry by way of tariffs.
asserted
he → claim → tariffs
I don’t want Canadian cars, I don’t want Canadian parts, I don’t want Canadian anything.
asserted
I → want → anything
They’ve been ripping us off for decades, and it’s going to stop,” he wrote.
asserted
he → rip → decades
“They want to be treated like a State, but they aren’t one.
asserted
they → want → State
I deal with the Leadership of many Countries, but I find Canada to be the worst.”
asserted
Canada → deal → Countries
Ten minutes later, he invited Canadian companies “doing business with America” to relocate to the U.S.
The U.S. Department of State also waded into the hydronym conversation on X, sharing a screenshot from its website showing the U.S. consulate location in Toronto.
asserted
Department → invite → Toronto
“It was brought to our attention that Lake America was erroneously labeled as Lake ‘Ontario’ on our website.
asserted
America → bring → website
We have corrected this mistake and apologize for deadnaming the lake.”
asserted
We → correct → lake
