Google’s “Lake America” name change is predictably unpopular with some

By Easton Martin | August 31, 2026

Google Maps has officially changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users in the United States, and the update has quickly become a source of mockery, outrage and celebration across social media.

The change follows President Trump’s executive order directing the federal government to rename the Great Lake as part of his broader effort to assert American naming conventions. The U.S. Geographic Names Information System has now adopted “Lake America,” prompting Google to update its American maps accordingly.

Google says the change is based on its longstanding policy of following official government geographic names. American users now see “Lake America,” Canadians continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while users outside the two countries see both names. The rollout immediately became a trending topic on X. An X trending page tracking the story had accumulated thousands of interactions as users reacted to screenshots of the updated map.

Quite predictably, many on the left jumped on Google for following President Trump’s name change, and have called for them to reverse it. Google’s move, however, is completely in line with their policy, much to the dismay of those who simply cannot stand when they perceive Trump to be getting his way.