Who now decides how places on the map are named?
Open the same map in the US and Canada – and you'll see two different names for the same lake, writes the BBC. So who decides what a particular place is actually called?
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. Photo: Getty Image
Open Google Maps in Toronto – and you'll see one name.
Open the map in New York – and you might see another.
Increasingly, the name on the map on your smartphone depends on exactly where you are. This is what's happening with Lake Ontario – the smallest of the Great Lakes, located on the US-Canada border.
When US President Trump ordered it to be renamed "Lake America" after failed trade negotiations between the two countries this summer, the lake began appearing under different names on various maps. But a name change in a government database doesn't necessarily change what the rest of the world calls that place.
From digital maps to tourism organizations and local communities – the dispute surrounding Lake Ontario shows how complicated it is to rename a geographical feature and who ultimately decides which name will stick.
Who decides what goes on the map?
It's no surprise that Canada did not support any changes.
In the US, the renaming process began with the federal Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) – a database used to standardize geographic names at the federal level. Trump's executive order mandated adding "Lake America" to the system and removing the previous name.
Google reflected the changes in accordance with its long-standing policy of using official government sources for names. Now, users in the US see "Lake America," while in Canada, it continues to be called "Lake Ontario."
Apple Maps also adopted the new name after pressure from Trump.
But private mapping companies are not legally obligated to adhere to the federal name. MapQuest, known as one of the first digital mapping services, refused to use the new name. After this, MapQuest ranked first among all apps in Apple's US App Store. The company stated that after the order was issued, it was downloaded over 1.5 million times in the US and Canada.
"MapQuest decided to keep the name that people are familiar with," said company general manager Doug Berger. "When people need directions, they search for familiar names. So the decision was simple."
What the name means
The different approaches show how a federal renaming decision can quickly lead to multiple names for the same geographical feature.
Oswego County in New York State, which borders the lake, decided to retain the name "Lake Ontario" in official documents and business materials, citing the historical significance of the name, as well as the costs to taxpayers and business owners associated with rebranding.
Unlike digital maps, printed maps cannot be instantly updated after geographical name changes. Photo: Getty Image
The Seneca Native American tribe also issued a statement against the decision, emphasizing the indigenous origin of the lake's name and its historical role in Native American diplomacy.
"In our traditional Seneca language, it is called sga:nyodai:yoh, which means 'beautiful lake'," said authorized representative of the people, Jay Conrad Seneca. "For us, Lake Ontario is not a political pawn. It does not divide the United States and Canada. This is indigenous land that they have inhabited since time immemorial."
When two names coexist
But outside the US and Canada, the consequences of the renaming may be limited.
"Names of bodies of water typically fall within the competence of individual states," explains Tawfik Rahim, senior fellow at the independent think tank New America and author of *Trump 2.5: A Primer*. "There are international organizations, such as the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), but they do not have the authority to resolve such disputes. Usually, when a dispute arises, two or even several names may be used."
A long-standing example is the dispute over the names "Persian Gulf" and "Arabian Gulf." "Persian Gulf" remains the standard name used by the UN, IHO, and most world atlases. At the same time, Arab states bordering this body of water, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, predominantly use the name "Arabian Gulf" and have been urging allies to do the same since the 1960s.
Another, more recent example is Trump's decision in January 2025 to rename the Gulf of Mexico to "American Gulf." The new name was introduced on federal US maps and some digital mapping services, while in Mexico and for international users, the name "Gulf of Mexico" or both names continued to be used.
In Mobile, Alabama, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico had recently spent nearly $100,000 on rebranding. After the federal renaming, the museum found itself with a new name associated with a geographical feature whose name is now a matter of dispute. The museum director then told BBC Travel that another renaming would require "completely redoing the entire museum," and stated that she would rely on the decision of the city authorities. Currently, the museum's website simply calls it the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf.
Lake Ontario is located on the US-Canada border: to its south lies the American state of New York, and to its north, the Canadian province of Ontario. Photo: Getty Image
A similar situation is now unfolding on the American side of Lake Ontario. The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, a federal protected area covering 1,722 square miles (4,460 sq km) of the lake's waters and seabed along New York's eastern coast, retains its name.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which co-manages the sanctuary with New York State, states that the executive order pertains to federal references to the lake itself but does not change the separately approved name of the sanctuary. The agency is updating its materials, referring to the lake as "Lake America," while the sanctuary continues to be called the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary.
Diplomatic wedge
The organizational and financial burden of renaming will most likely fall on the US and its taxpayers.
"This adds another unnecessary line item of expense for the US, which could collectively reach hundreds of millions of dollars a year," says Usha Haley, honorary professor of international business at Wichita State University. "People have to spend time, another important resource, managing these changes for different audiences."
Although the renaming will have practical consequences, the most lasting ones are likely to be symbolic.
"Geographical names become a kind of symbol of sovereignty and power. This is a geopolitical signal about who controls the national and bilateral agenda," says Haley.
According to her, the symbolic and diplomatic consequences of such a renaming could be far more extensive than the immediate commercial costs. Haley states that this decision is likely to continue undermining diplomatic trust between Canada and the US, complicating the already complex trade relations between the two countries.
Canada has long been one of the main destinations for American exports and the third-largest source of imports to the US after Mexico and China. Usha Haley notes that similar symbolic disputes can become a manifestation of larger conflicts.