Apple Maps still shows the traditional name for the Great Lake that straddles New York and Ontario, but the company may follow Google and U.S. federal maps after discussions with President Donald Trump, according to reporting around a new Reuters dispatch on Monday.
Trump signed an executive order on August 27th directing U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in federal usage, including the Geographic Names Information System, within 30 days.
Burgum moved quickly. “We’re on it, Mr. President,” he wrote on X. “The places and waters that border our nation and support our economy should reflect the greatness of the United States.”
We’re on it, Mr. President!
The places and waters that border our nation and support our economy should reflect the greatness of the United States.@USGS maps our country for the world to see, and we are PROUD to implement your Executive Order to rename LAKE AMERICA. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/b1vSbklB4E
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) August 27, 2026
He also published a secretarial order to “immediately rename the body of water known as Lake Ontario to Lake America.” The U.S. Geological Survey later said the new name had been designated in official USGS electronic documents.
Make the Great Lakes Great Again! pic.twitter.com/jTPEl59ZkG
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) August 27, 2026
“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario effective immediately to Lake America,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “The lake change was something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, actually.”
He also said, “The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They’re nasty people,” and later joked, “We have a gulf and we have a lake, now all we need is an ocean, so maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.”
Google has already updated Maps for U.S. users. “Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the U.S., people using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names,” Google said.
Apple Maps had not made the same switch as of August 31st. Apple did not immediately comment in earlier coverage. Last year it did adopt “Gulf of America” after Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico.
MacDailyNews Take: The name change is unfolding inside a broader U.S.–Canada trade war after talks collapsed and both sides imposed tariffs. Any Apple Maps change would be a company decision, not a legal requirement of the executive order. Apple had not publicly confirmed an update as of the latest available reporting.
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