Washington DC: Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for users in the United States, following a US government decision to rename the shared body of water, CNN reported.
The change came after the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) formally adopted 'Lake America' as the name used in the United States.
"The U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has formally changed the name for 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' in the United States," Google said in a statement on Saturday, according to CNN.
"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'," the company added.
Google said users outside the US and Canada will see both names, with 'Lake America' appearing in parentheses after 'Lake Ontario'.
The company said the change follows its "long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country".
Lake Ontario is shared by Canada and the United States and is governed by the Boundary Waters Treaty, enacted in the early 20th century to prevent and settle disputes over shared waters.
While US President Donald Trump has broad authority over how the US government refers to geographic landmarks, the US executive order cannot compel other countries to adopt the same terminology.
Alternatives to Google Maps, including Waze and Apple Maps, continued to identify the body of water as "Lake Ontario" as of Sunday afternoon, according to CNN. MapQuest also said in a social media post, "We're not changing it."
Canada pushes back
Earlier on Saturday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a large billboard-style sign along the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario, rejecting Trump's unilateral decision to rename the shared body of water.
Standing near the shoreline in Grimsby, Ontario, Ford revealed the 24-by-12-foot structure, which reads "Lake Ontario. Now and Always" in English and French. The sign also carries the French wording "Lac Ontario - Aujourd'hui et pour toujours."
"I'm here on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario, a crown jewel of our province and our country," Ford said in a video message posted on X.
It’s Lake Ontario, now and always. pic.twitter.com/KNahtPAMeJ
Ford later told reporters that the lake would remain Lake Ontario "now and forever".
"President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you that the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario," he said. "We're resilient, and we're strong Canadians."
Trump first threatened to rename Lake Ontario during an escalating dispute with Ford. The two exchanged insults, with Ford calling Trump a bully and Trump describing the Ontario premier as a less charismatic and intelligent version of his late brother, Rob Ford.
Trump subsequently signed an executive order directing the US Department of the Interior to update federal maps and databases to refer to Lake Ontario as "Lake America" within the United States.
The move comes amid a wider economic and political standoff between Washington and Ottawa. The Trump administration has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on about USD 20 billion worth of Canadian goods, prompting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to announce retaliatory tariffs on US exports.
Trump's executive order followed a similar decision last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America", after which Google Maps reflected the change for US users.
The US order applies to federal mapping agencies and does not have authority over Canadian territory or international hydrographic standards.
Canadian leaders across party lines, along with some US state officials, have rejected or dismissed the change.
Carney pushed back on social media, highlighting the Indigenous Wendat origins of the name Ontario, which means "beautiful lake" or "big lake".
"Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario, then, now and always," Carney said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, whose state borders Lake Ontario, also said she would not adopt the new name, calling the move absurd amid pressing economic and trade concerns affecting agricultural exporters.
Indigenous leaders, including Wendat Nation Grand Chief Pierre Picard, condemned the renaming as an attempt to erase the lake's historical and cultural roots.
Ford said the name change was a reaction to Canada's firm position in the trade dispute and argued that the historical name would outlast the political dispute.
"Long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario," he said.