Lake Ontario to Lake America – who gets to decide what goes on maps?

In August 2026, President Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario 'Lake America', claiming he had notified everyone who needed it. But names on maps are not just a presidential decree.

In the US, renaming has a strict process run by the Board on Geographic Names, part of the US Geological Survey. Typically, it starts locally: locals propose a change, it moves through county and state approvals, and finally to the federal board.

Renaming takes procedure, not a whim

Lake Bde Maka Ska in Minnesota is an example. In 2018, the local park board proposed restoring the Dakota name, which went through county, state, and federal approval. Behind such changes can be decades of effort—Denali took 40 years to revert from Mount McKinley, stalled for years by Ohio congressmen.

On international waters, the US doesn't decide alone

But Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico are different; they are not entirely US territory. The first 12 miles offshore are territorial waters, beyond that is international. The US can change its official maps, but there is no global naming authority, and other countries may simply ignore it. Google Maps shows names based on your location: in the US, you see 'Gulf of America'; in Mexico, it's still 'Gulf of Mexico'.