When was Lake Ontario renamed to Lake America?

On August 27, 2026, President Trump signed Executive Order 14396, “Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America.” The order took effect immediately for U.S. federal government use.

Why was Lake Ontario renamed to Lake America?

The order was signed amid an escalating trade war between the United States and Canada, with both countries imposing new tariffs on each other’s goods. It follows the same approach the administration used in January 2025 to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

Can President Trump officially rename Lake Ontario?

For U.S. federal purposes, yes. A president can direct the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to update how a geographic feature is labeled in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which federal agencies and mapping tools reference. What a president can’t do is require another country to adopt the new name. Lake Ontario sits on the U.S.-Canada border, and Canada has rejected the change — Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the name “Ontario” comes from a Wendat word more than 400 years old and said Canada will continue calling it Lake Ontario.

Which maps switched from Lake Ontario to Lake America?

Google Maps updated to show “Lake America” for users browsing from the United States, following the GNIS update. Users browsing from Canada still see “Lake Ontario,” and users browsing from anywhere else see both names. As of this writing, other major U.S. map providers had not confirmed a similar change.

What other countries besides the U.S. have switched the name to Lake America?

None. Canada’s official designation remains Lake Ontario / Lac Ontario, and Canadian officials have explicitly rejected the name change — Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the name predates the founding of both Canada and the United States by more than 400 years and said Canada will keep calling it Lake Ontario. No international body, including the United Nations, is bound by a U.S. executive order, and none has adopted “Lake America” either.

Will Lake America be renamed back when the tariffs are settled?

That hasn’t been announced either way. The executive order didn’t tie the name change to the outcome of trade negotiations, and Canada has given no indication it will adopt “Lake America” regardless of how the tariff dispute resolves. For now the name change stands as U.S. federal policy, with no announced end date or condition attached.

What are U.S. lake lovers doing to support their friends in Canada?

Proudly wearing Lake Ontario t-shirts and sweatshirts to show a little solidarity — shop the collection below.