Apple has updated the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on its Apple Maps online platform after President Donald Trump issued an executive order renaming the lake. This change by Apple on Tuesday came after Alphabet also modified the name of the lake on its Google Maps for U.S. users over the weekend.
Following an alteration to the lake’s name in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, Apple confirmed that U.S. users will now see the label “Lake America.” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum mentioned on Fox Business that Trump had directly contacted Apple regarding the renaming.
Canadian users will continue to see Lake Ontario, while users worldwide will see both names, similar to Apple’s response when Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Google’s adjustment led to some confusion in Canada, with certain companies and government organizations briefly displaying maps with the Lake America name on their websites. The name changes demonstrate how U.S. tech companies are being entangled in geopolitical disputes due to the Trump administration’s push for compliance with executive orders that have faced opposition from allies and international bodies.
Trump’s executive order regarding Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes of North America, applies to U.S. federal usage while not influencing what Canada, international bodies, or other organizations call the lake. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s recent actions, including raising taxes on Canadian imports and renaming Lake Ontario.
Shortly after Trump’s executive order, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that they would not be changing the name, which has been in use for over 400 years. New York shares a border with the lake on the U.S. side. Approximately 52% of Lake Ontario’s surface area lies in Canada, with the remainder in New York.
Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico to Lake America and Gulf of America, respectively, has caused reactions from both U.S. and Canadian authorities. Since early 2025, Trump has repeatedly teased Canada about becoming the 51st U.S. state, a notion that Canadian leaders have dismissed as absurd. The adjustments made by Google and Apple to reflect the name changes for U.S. users have been a part of Trump’s ongoing efforts to assert nationalist sentiments.