Answer box
"Lake America" is the name the U.S. federal government began using on Aug. 27, 2026, for the body of water long known as Lake Ontario. Canada continues to call it Lake Ontario. Some map platforms show different names depending on the country of the user. The lake itself — its water, shoreline, and communities — has not changed.
Why was it renamed?
The change came from a single instrument: an executive order signed on Aug. 27, 2026, titled around honouring American history on the Great Lakes, which directed U.S. federal agencies to adopt "Lake America." The reasoning offered was commemorative rather than cartographic — nothing about the geography was in dispute, and no survey or boundary finding prompted it.
Because a naming order reaches only the records of the government that issues it, the practical consequence was a split rather than a replacement. For where that leaves the name today, see whether Lake America is official, and for the sequence of events, the dated timeline.
What changed on August 27, 2026?
President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing U.S. federal agencies and the U.S. Geographical Names Information System (GNIS) to use "Lake America." The order is a domestic U.S. instruction. It does not bind Canada, international bodies, or private companies such as Google, Apple, or MapQuest.
Following the order, the EPA and NOAA began updating relevant federal pages to use Lake America. The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary page retained "Lake Ontario" in its title as of early September, reflecting that the sanctuary designation predates the executive order.
What changed and what did not
Changed
- The name in U.S. federal naming systems, starting with the Geographic Names Information System.
- Labels on relevant EPA and NOAA pages that reference the lake.
- What Google Maps and Apple Maps show to users located in the United States.
Did not change
- Canada's official name for the lake, which is still Lake Ontario.
- The lake itself — shoreline, depth, surface area and the international boundary.
- MapQuest, which said it would keep the historic name for everyone.
- Road signs, ferry timetables, border requirements and local business names.
What does 'official' mean here?
In this case, "official" applies to the U.S. federal government's own naming systems. It does not mean the name is official in Canada, at the United Nations, or on every map app. Naming authority on the Great Lakes is split by jurisdiction, which is why two countries can use two names for the same body of water.
Google Maps, Apple Maps, and MapQuest
Google announced on Aug. 29, 2026, that U.S. users of Google Maps would see Lake America, Canadian users would see Lake Ontario, and users outside both countries would see both names. Apple Maps adopted a similar country-based approach by Sept. 1. MapQuest publicly said it would continue using Lake Ontario, according to AP reporting.
Canada's position
The Government of Canada has not recognized Lake America as the name of the lake. Canadian federal and provincial geographic name databases continue to list Lake Ontario.
The Indigenous roots of "Ontario"
"Ontario" comes from a Wendat (Huron) word often interpreted as "beautiful lake" or "sparkling water." The name long predates European settlement and remains in wide use in Canada and much of the world. We treat that history with respect and link to Indigenous and academic sources below.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Lake America?
- Lake America is the name U.S. federal naming systems began using on Aug. 27, 2026 for the lake that records in both countries had long called Lake Ontario. It came from an executive order directing U.S. agencies and the Geographic Names Information System to change the label.
- Is Lake America the same as Lake Ontario?
- Yes — the same body of water, roughly 7,340 square miles shared by the United States and Canada. Only the label differs, depending on which government or platform you are reading.
- Did the U.S. officially rename Lake Ontario?
- The United States changed the name in its own federal systems. That is as far as the order reaches: it does not bind Canada, international bodies or private mapmakers, and the lake's legal status as shared water is unchanged.
- Does Canada call it Lake America?
- No. Canadian federal and provincial geographic name databases continue to list Lake Ontario, and the Government of Canada has not recognized Lake America.
- Why does Google Maps show Lake America?
- Google said on Aug. 29, 2026 that it would follow its long-standing practice of reflecting official local naming: U.S. users see Lake America, Canadian users see Lake Ontario, and users elsewhere see both names.
- Does Apple Maps call it Lake America?
- For users in the United States, yes. Reuters reported on Sep. 1, 2026 that Apple Maps switched to Lake America in the U.S. while keeping Lake Ontario for Canadian users.
- Where is Lake America / Lake Ontario?
- It is the easternmost Great Lake, bordered by the U.S. state of New York to the south and the Canadian province of Ontario to the north and east, with Toronto, Rochester, Oswego, Hamilton and Kingston on its shores.
- Will the name change affect travel?
- Not in any practical way. Border crossings, road signs, ferry schedules and local businesses use the names they used before. Our travel guides use both.