Adedokun Waliyu 
Google has redesignated Lake Ontario as “Lake America” on maps viewed by users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was renaming the body of water.
However, people in Canada will continue to see the name Lake Ontario, the Indigenous-rooted name that has been used for the lake since the 17th century.
Google said it made the change in accordance with the United States Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the official federal database for geographic names.
The company explained that users in the US would see “Lake America”, while those in Canada would continue to see “Lake Ontario”. Users outside both countries would see both names.
Apple Maps, meanwhile, had not adopted the name “Lake America” as of Sunday morning.
The naming dispute is the latest development in growing tensions between the United States and Canada, which have been engaged in a trade war involving tariffs imposed by both countries.
The change also mirrors Trump’s 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 lies along the border between Canada’s Ontario province and the US state of New York.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticised both the lake renaming and the ongoing trade dispute.
Ford described the move as “absolutely backwards” and said it was disappointing. He argued that a trade war would hurt both countries but could be particularly damaging to the United States because Canada is a major purchaser of American vehicles.
He also pointed out that the automotive industries of both countries are deeply interconnected, with a significant portion of parts used in US-made vehicles produced in Canada.
Trump, however, defended his position, saying Americans wanted to produce their own cars and accusing Canada of taking advantage of the United States.
The dispute over the lake’s name has therefore become another point of contention between the two long-standing allies amid worsening economic and political tensions.
