Google's official-sources policy now splits its own map at the Canadian border

Google said on Saturday that Google Maps users in the United States would see the name "Lake America" instead of "Lake Ontario."

In a blog post, Google said it pulls names for geographical features from official government sources, which for the US is the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).

Google Maps users in the United States see "Lake America" while users in Canada still see "Lake Ontario," and users outside both countries are shown both names, rendered as "Lake Ontario (Lake America)."

Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" by executive order on his first day back in office in January 2025, and Google made a similar change that month; US users now see "Gulf of America," Mexican users see "Gulf of Mexico," and users elsewhere see both.

Google Maps now labels the tallest mountain in North America "Mount McKinley" rather than Denali, while the National Park Service still officially refers to the surrounding park as "Denali National Park."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the name Lake Ontario is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the US Declaration of Independence, and that "naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford erected a 24-by-12-foot bilingual sign in Grimsby, Ontario on Saturday carrying the Canadian name for the lake.

After Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico in January 2025, the UK, Mexico and China were among the countries to reject the change to the Gulf of America, and it led to a legal dispute between Mexico and Google.

MapQuest publicly refused to change the lake's name, posting "We're not changing it"; that post has more than 5 million views on X, while none of the account's 24 posts in July got more than two likes.

Google's announcement of the name change came two days after the executive order was signed.

Ontario provincial parliament member Stephen Crawford said some Ontario government agency websites displayed "Lake America" because they pull map data directly from Google Maps, and that the province was actively reviewing its websites to ensure they identify the lake as Lake Ontario.

BNN Bloomberg reported that Metrolinx, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area public transit network, was among the sites showing the new name; when Business Insider checked Metrolinx's website on Sunday evening, the lake was labeled Lake Ontario.

A Google spokesperson said website developers who embed Google Maps on their site can select a region to localize the map, which determines how place names are displayed, and that "Lake Ontario" will show when developers have set their region to Canada.

As of Sunday, Apple Maps still said "Lake Ontario," and Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

Joseph C. Wright, chief executive of Illinois-based Replogle Globes, said that as long as a change is pending it adds uncertainty to globe purchasers, who may want to hold off purchases until a decision is made, and that international acceptance is also a factor because the company sells globes worldwide.

Wright said political uncertainty affects the timing of purchases because a change in presidential administrations in a little less than two and a half years might result in a change back to the previous names.

Chris Adams, founder of UK-based Lander & May Globemakers, said the Lake America change would have absolutely no effect on his company, called it a total irrelevance, and said the firm takes its lead from the United Nations.

Paul Norrell, owner of Seattle-based 1-World Globes & Maps, said the company prints wall maps to order so customers can request "Gulf of America" or "Lake America" labels at no extra charge, while the company still uses internationally accepted names by default.

In states such as Florida, schools and state agencies are required to use maps and globes that include "Gulf of America" instead of "Gulf of Mexico."

Norrell said some educators may be opting to wait it out before making map and globe purchases, given the possibility of legislation following the latest name change.

Google's US label changed with 28 of the 30 days in the order's implementation window still unused.

US tariffs targeting an estimated $28 billion in Canadian goods took effect after Canadian negotiators walked away from trade talks, and Canada announced 50% retaliatory tariffs on US steel, dairy, electronics and other goods.