The National Times - Google Maps adopts Lake America label for US users

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Google Maps adopts Lake America label for US users

TECHNOLOGY 30.08.2026

Google Maps adopts Lake America label for US users

Google Maps has begun showing Lake America instead of Lake Ontario to users in the United States after an executive order changed the name in federal records.

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Google Maps changed the US-facing name of Lake Ontario to Lake America late on Saturday, days after President Donald Trump ordered the federal rebranding amid a tariff dispute with Canada. The change follows a similar 2025 order that renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in US government databases.

Google said users in the United States would see Lake America, users in Canada would continue to see Lake Ontario, and people elsewhere would see both names. The company said the presentation follows its policy for bodies of water whose names differ between countries.

Apple Maps and Microsoft Bing Maps had not made the change by Sunday morning. The federal Geographic Names Information System map still displayed Lake Ontario while noting that updates were under way. Private mapping services are not legally required to follow federal naming records, although major providers commonly use them. OpenStreetMap recognises both the US and foreign names and lets organisations decide which label to display.

A.Parker--TNT

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