WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has ordered Lake Ontario renamed ‘Lake America’ for official U.S. government purposes, making one of North America’s Great Lakes the latest point of contention between the United States and Canada.
Trump signed an executive order Aug. 27 directing the Department of the Interior and U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change the lake’s name in federal records, maps and documents. The department has 30 days to update the federal Geographic Names Information System.
The change applies only to the U.S. government. Trump cannot require Canada to adopt the name, and Canadian officials have made clear that the country will continue calling it Lake Ontario.
The lake, the easternmost of the five Great Lakes, is bordered by New York and the Canadian province of Ontario and connects to the St. Lawrence River.
Trump said the new name recognizes the lake’s importance to American history, commerce and national security. His executive order points to U.S. spending on Great Lakes environmental protection, Coast Guard icebreaking operations and the lake’s role in shipping, energy production and drinking-water supplies.
“The Lake will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy,” the order states.
The renaming comes as relations between the longtime allies have deteriorated sharply.
After trade negotiations broke down, the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20 billion in American products, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Canada over trade and has suggested that the country should become the 51st U.S. state, comments that have drawn strong opposition from Canadian leaders.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the new designation, noting that the name Lake Ontario predates both Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by unveiling a large ‘Lake Ontario’ sign overlooking the water.
Opposition has also emerged in the United States. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her state would not adopt the new name, declaring, “New York won’t be calling it that.”
The naming dispute is also reaching digital maps. Google Maps has begun displaying ‘Lake America’ for users in the United States while continuing to show ‘Lake Ontario’ in Canada. Users in some other countries may see both names.
The move follows Trump’s 2025 decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America’ for U.S. federal purposes.
But Lake Ontario presents an unusual complication: It is shared by two countries.
That means the same body of water may now carry different names depending on which side of the U.S.-Canada border (and which map) a person is using.
