Google Maps has begun showing “Lake America” to users in the United States after President Donald Trump’s executive order changed the federal government’s name for Lake Ontario, making the controversial renaming visible to millions of people beyond federal documents and databases.
The change marks the most significant practical effect of the Aug. 27 order so far. Apple Maps continues to label the lake as Lake Ontario, while MapQuest has publicly said it will not change the name, leaving Americans with different names for the same lake depending on which mapping service they use.
Google said it made the change after the federal Geographic Names Information System was updated, following the company’s longstanding policy of reflecting official government geographic names.
The company said U.S. users will see Lake America, while Canadian users are supposed to continue seeing Lake Ontario. Users elsewhere are expected to see both names, displayed as Lake Ontario (Lake America).
That geographic distinction has not worked seamlessly, however. Axios reported Sunday that “Lake America” was appearing on some Ontario government websites that embed Google Maps, even though the company said Canadian users would continue seeing Lake Ontario.
Google said website developers using embedded maps can designate a region, which determines how geographic names appear. Sites configured for Canada should display Lake Ontario.
The development offers an early example of how Trump’s executive order can reach far beyond federal agencies even though it does not require private companies, New York state or Canada to adopt the new name.
Trump’s order directs the federal government to use Lake America for the international lake shared by New York and Ontario. It does not change the U.S.-Canadian border, jurisdiction over the water, Great Lakes treaties or Canada’s authority to determine what it calls the lake.
The federal name change also does not require New York communities to replace Lake Ontario signs, tourism materials or local branding. Oswego Mayor Robert Corradino has already said the city does not plan to make those changes, citing both the lake’s historical identity and the cost involved.
The divide among digital mapping companies is now making that distinction visible in everyday use.
Apple Maps was still displaying Lake Ontario as of Sunday, according to Axios. Apple had not publicly explained whether it plans to follow the federal change.
MapQuest has taken a more explicit position, saying publicly that it will continue using Lake Ontario despite the Trump administration’s action.
The response from Canada has also remained firm. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Sunday that the lake will continue to be called Lake Ontario and compared the controversy surrounding the change to a “Saturday Night Live” sketch.
The dispute comes after Google made a similar change following Trump’s 2025 decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America for federal purposes. Google ultimately displayed different terminology based on a user’s location, showing Gulf of America in the United States while retaining Gulf of Mexico in Mexico.
Lake Ontario presents an even more direct cross-border issue because the U.S.-Canada boundary runs through the lake itself.
The Ontario name has also been associated with the lake for centuries and has Indigenous origins that predate both the United States and Canada. Historical sources trace variants of the name to Indigenous languages describing the lake or its waters, long before Ontario became a Canadian province.
For now, Trump’s order is producing exactly the fragmented naming system that appeared likely when it was signed: federal agencies and some private platforms are moving toward Lake America, while Canada, New York communities and other map providers continue using Lake Ontario.
That means a person in New York can now open Google Maps and see Lake America, switch to Apple Maps and see Lake Ontario, then encounter Lake Ontario again on state or municipal signs along the shoreline.
Whether Lake America becomes widely used outside federal government systems will depend less on the executive order itself than on what mapping companies, publishers, state and local governments — and ultimately the public — decide to call it.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.