On August 27, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America." The administration stated that it had notified the necessary parties regarding the change. Ontario Premier Doug Ford previously dismissed the name change as rhetoric. This action occurs during an ongoing trade dispute between the United States and Canada.
This is not the first instance of Trump renaming a geographic location; in 2025, he renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and restored the name Denali to Alaska's tallest peak, which had been referred to as Mount McKinley.
In the United States, there is a formal process for renaming places, managed by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, part of the U.S. Geological Survey. The board standardizes place names to avoid confusion. Typically, renaming begins at the local level, where residents propose a name change and gather support. For example, in 2018, Minnesota renamed a large lake in Minneapolis to Bde Maka Ska, a name with Dakota origins.
The renaming process involves multiple steps, including approval from local governments and the state Department of Natural Resources before being submitted to the Board on Geographic Names for national recognition.
In 2015, then-Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell officially recognized the name Denali, citing its significance to Alaska Natives. If there are objections to a name change, individuals can seek judicial review.
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico presents a different scenario, as it is not within U.S. territorial waters. The first 12 miles from the shore are considered U.S. territory, while the rest is international waters. Although the Board on Geographic Names has changed the name to Gulf of America on U.S. maps, there is no international authority governing place names. Each country determines its own naming conventions, and the U.S. cannot compel other nations to alter their maps.
Currently, U.S. government documents and maps reflect the new names. Mapping services, such as Google Maps, adjust the display of place names based on the user's location. For instance, users in the U.S. will see Gulf of America, while users in Mexico will see Gulf of Mexico. Mapping companies also allow users to change settings to view maps as they would appear from different countries.
This article is an updated version of a story originally published on January 24, 2025.