Apple Maps Renames Lake Ontario to Lake America for US Users Following Presidential Order

Apple Maps updated the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America for users in the United States on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. The change was implemented following a direct request from U.S. President Donald Trump, a detail confirmed by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. President Trump signed an executive order last week to rename Lake Ontario amid escalating trade tensions between the United States and Canada. The U.S. Geographic Names Information System formally updated its official map data to reflect the new name, while Google Maps implemented a similar change for its U.S. users on August 29, 2026.

Users in Canada continue to see Lake Ontario displayed on both Apple Maps and Google Maps. Users in other international regions see both names presented as Lake Ontario (Lake America). Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, situated along the border between New York and the Canadian province of Ontario, with approximately 52 percent of the lake's surface area located within Canada.

The name Ontario originates from the Indigenous Wendat word Ontariio, translating to the lake is beautiful, the lake is big, and the body of water has been known as Lake Ontario for over 400 years. President Trump's executive order to rename the lake followed his imposition of 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods valued at nearly $20 billion, prompting Canada to pledge retaliatory tariffs of equivalent value. A Reuters/Ipsos poll indicated that a majority of Americans oppose both Trump's tariff increases on Canadian goods and his order to rename Lake Ontario.

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated on Fox Business on Monday, August 31, 2026, that President Trump reached out to Apple directly concerning the renaming. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney asserted on social media that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario, then, now and always. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a sign along the northern shore of the lake reading Lake Ontario. Now and Always, and told ABC News that no one is going to call it Lake of America because it has been Lake Ontario for hundreds of years.

Apple did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment regarding the renaming of Lake Ontario. New York Governor Kathy Hochul affirmed that her state would continue to use the name Lake Ontario. In addition, three Democratic U.S. representatives, Tim Kennedy and Joe Morelle of New York, and Debbie Dingell of Michigan, introduced the Hands Off Our Great Lakes act to legally block the federal order. MapQuest, an American navigation service, experienced a significant increase in downloads and usage after refusing to adopt the Lake America name change, reaching the top position among free apps in Canada's App Store.

Both Apple and Google previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in January 2025, following a similar executive order from President Trump. Apple also previously changed the name of the Alaskan mountain Denali to Mount McKinley in response to a Trump order.

For United States-Canada relations, the renaming of Lake Ontario serves as a significant point of contention within an escalating trade dispute, leading to Canada's implementation of retaliatory tariffs against U.S. goods. For map users, particularly those in Canada and internationally, inconsistent naming conventions across platforms could lead to confusion and potential inaccuracies in navigation or official documentation. For technology companies like Apple and Google, compliance with such executive orders draws them into geopolitical disputes, resulting in public backlash and shifts in user loyalty as demonstrated by the increased popularity of MapQuest following its refusal to adopt the name change.