U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Thursday renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America, a move tied to ongoing trade tensions with Canada that have resulted in bilateral tariffs on billions of dollars of goods.
The order applies to the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, which standardizes official U.S. maps, but does not alter Canadian naming conventions or international usage. The lake, the smallest of the five Great Lakes, will now be referred to as Lake America in U.S. federal records and databases.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed on Monday that Trump had personally contacted Apple regarding the change. Burgum stated during an interview on Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria that the company is expected to implement the new name soon. "The president reached out to Apple directly, so I'm sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America," Burgum said.
Google Maps has already updated its U.S. listings to reflect the name change, according to a company statement. The update is limited to U.S. users, with international versions of the service retaining the original name.
The announcement follows a series of trade measures between the U.S. and Canada, including reciprocal tariffs imposed on goods worth billions of dollars. The name change is framed as part of broader efforts to assert U.S. sovereignty in naming conventions amid the dispute.
