Google Maps renames Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for US users following executive order

Key facts

• Google Maps has changed the display label for Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for users inside the United States.
• The change follows a presidential executive order and mirrors the February 2025 renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America'.
• The U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) formally changed the name for Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' in the United States.
• Users in the US will see 'Lake America', users in Canada will see 'Lake Ontario', and users outside both countries will see both names.
• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated the name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence.
• The name originates from the Wendat word 'Ontari'io', meaning 'the lake is beautiful, the lake is big'.
• MapQuest will not adopt the change and is rolling out an interactive custom name generator.
• Apple Maps has not yet applied the updated wording.