Trump Orders U.S. Agencies to Use ‘Lake America’ for Lake Ontario

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday, August 27, directing the U.S. government to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in federal geographic records within 30 days. The order applies to U.S. federal usage; it does not require Canada, Ontario, New York or international organizations to adopt the new name.

If federal agencies complete the ordered updates, Americans may eventually see “Lake America” on federal maps, databases and documents while Canadian and many international sources continue to call the shared body of water Lake Ontario.

What the executive order does

The order directs the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and take appropriate steps to complete the renaming within 30 days. It also directs the Interior Department and the board to update the Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS, the federal database used for official geographic names.

The order says the board should provide guidance so federal departments and agencies replace references to Lake Ontario with “Lake America” on maps, contracts, documents and other communications. It also says implementation must be consistent with applicable law and subject to available appropriations.

The deadline does not mean every federal map or database changed immediately on August 27. The order gives agencies until late September to carry out the directed updates.

What it does not change

The order does not rename the lake worldwide or bind Canada, the province of Ontario, international bodies or private organizations. The Associated Press reported that there is no single international body that determines the names used for all international bodies of water.

Lake Ontario is a shared Great Lakes waterway bordered by New York on the U.S. side and by Ontario on the Canadian side. The executive order addresses federal naming and does not purport to change the lake’s borders, shipping rights or other cross-border arrangements.

The practical result could be a split in usage. Federal agencies may use “Lake America” after the GNIS and related records are updated, while state agencies, Canadian governments, businesses, map providers and international institutions may continue using Lake Ontario.

Canada and New York reject the change

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the renaming. According to the Associated Press, Carney invoked the lake’s Indigenous roots and said the name predates both Canadian Confederation and the United States as a nation.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also said the state would continue calling it Lake Ontario. Her position means state and federal references could diverge even on the U.S. side of the lake.

The Associated Press reported that the name Lake Ontario comes from a Huron Indigenous term and that the province of Ontario later took its name from the lake. The dispute therefore involves a federal database decision as well as the history and identity of a waterway shared by two countries.

The order arrives during a trade dispute

Trump’s action came as U.S.-Canada trade negotiations had broken down and tariff tensions were increasing. In an August 25 release, the Canadian government said the United States had imposed a 50% tariff on $27.6 billion of Canadian goods effective August 22. Canada said it would impose matching counter-tariffs on $27.6 billion of U.S. imports beginning September 8, with rates of 15%, 25% and 50% depending on the product.

Canada said the counter-tariffs would focus on products including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics. The Canadian government also announced a $7.5 billion package of new and enhanced support for affected workers and businesses.

The naming order is not itself a tariff measure. Its timing, however, places it within a broader dispute that could affect importers, exporters, workers and consumers on both sides of the border.

What to watch next

The immediate test will be whether the Interior Department and the Board on Geographic Names complete the GNIS and federal-document updates by the 30-day deadline. The order itself says implementation must follow applicable law, leaving the scope of any legal challenge over a shared international waterway unresolved.

Congressional reactions, agency implementation records and changes to federal maps and databases will show how broadly the administration applies the new designation. Cross-border agencies and international organizations may continue using Lake Ontario.

For readers, the simplest expectation is that both names may appear for some time. “Lake America” will refer to the U.S. federal designation if agencies complete the order, while Lake Ontario will remain the name used by Canada, New York and many other governments and institutions.

Sources

Look for updates to this story

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