Google Maps has redesignated Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the United States after President Donald Trump announced the renaming of the body of water.
The change, which was visible on Google Maps in the US on Sunday, has added another point of tension between the United States and Canada, whose longstanding relationship has already been strained by an escalating trade dispute.
Google said users in Canada would continue to see the body of water as Lake Ontario, the Indigenous-rooted name that has been used for centuries.
The technology company explained that its decision followed the US Geographic Names Information System, the official federal database for geographic names.
“Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the US, people using Maps in the US will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names,” Google said in a blog post.
Apple’s Maps application, however, had not adopted the “Lake America” designation as of Sunday morning.
The naming dispute follows Trump’s controversial decision in January 2025 to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a move that Mexico rejected.
Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes by surface area. It straddles the Canada-US border between Ontario province and New York State.
Canadian Premier Criticises Name Change
Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticised the renaming on Sunday, describing the development as another unnecessary source of tension between the two neighbouring countries.
“It’s absolutely backwards,” Ford told ABC’s “This Week” programme.
He compared the renaming to a scene from the US comedy programme “Saturday Night Live”, saying, “No one’s going to call it Lake of America.”
Ford said he was disappointed by the development, which comes amid a wider trade dispute between Canada and the United States.
Washington and Ottawa have imposed retaliatory tariffs on each other, further straining relations between the two countries.
The Ontario premier also warned that an extended trade war would hurt both economies, but argued that the impact could be particularly severe for the US because Canada remains a major buyer of American vehicles.
He said a reduction in Canadian purchases could affect US automobile factories, noting that the two countries have deeply integrated vehicle manufacturing and supply chains.
“A tariff on Canada is nothing more than a tax on American people,” Ford said, describing the trade policy as potentially damaging to the US economy.
Trump Defends ‘America First’ Policy
Trump defended his position on Sunday, saying Americans wanted to produce more vehicles domestically.
“Canada has been ripping us off for years — NO LONGER!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The dispute over Lake Ontario’s name has therefore become intertwined with the broader “America First” agenda, as the US administration continues to pursue policies aimed at reshaping trade and relations with neighbouring countries.
For now, the lake has different names depending on where Google Maps users are located: “Lake America” in the United States, “Lake Ontario” in Canada, and both names for users elsewhere.