U.S. President Donald Trump signed a federal decree on August 27, 2026, renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America, effective immediately for all U.S. government use. The action applies only to American federal nomenclature and does not alter international or Canadian usage.
The move follows a broader pattern of renaming initiatives under Trump’s current administration, including the January 2025 redesignation of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Trump, in public remarks, suggested further potential name changes, stating, 'We got a gulf and we got 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.'
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized the decision, asserting that 'Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – yesterday, today and always.' New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Vermont Governor Phil Scott also rejected the name change, with Scott calling the decision 'petty and disappointing' on social media.
The Grand Chief of the Wendat Nation in Quebec, Pierre Picard, condemned the decree, stating that the original name derives from the Wendat language meaning 'the lake is beautiful, grand.' Picard added, 'President Trump is trying to erase our history,' and described his reaction as 'outraged, horrified, shocked.'
The renaming occurs amid escalating U.S.-Canada trade tensions, which culminated in the collapse of three days of cross-border negotiations. Canadian officials attributed the breakdown to disputes over French-language usage rules, U.S. tariff exemption demands for medium and heavy trucks, and what U.S. negotiators rejected as Canada’s attempts to restrict new trade agreements. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in May indicated that 72% of Americans held a favorable view of Canada, though the survey’s timing predates the latest diplomatic friction.
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names updated federal records within two weeks of the Gulf of Mexico’s renaming in January 2025, a process that officials expect to repeat for Lake America. Approximately 52% of Lake Ontario’s surface area lies within Canadian territory, with the remainder in New York state. The name 'Lake Ontario' has been in use for over 400 years.
