White House posts order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” as Google begins map updates, CBS News reports

A White House presidential actions page posted Aug. 27 describes a policy to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” and Google began rolling out map changes in the United States, according to CBS News.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

President Donald Trump’s administration posted a presidential actions page on Aug. 27 describing an order “Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America,” citing the authority of the president under the Constitution and federal law. The page says the administration’s policy is to recognize American history connected to the Great Lakes and uses prior reference to Executive Order 14172 from Jan. 20, 2025.

The CBS News report published Aug. 30 said Google had begun rolling out changes to how its maps display the lake’s name in the United States, reflecting the administration’s renaming directive. CBS News did not indicate that the change applied globally, and the report focused on map labeling shown to users in the U.S.

According to the White House presidential actions page, the order frames the renaming as a policy choice rather than a request aimed at private companies, though the practical effect for the public is expected to appear through consumer-facing products like mapping services. The administration’s cited rationale links the change to recognition of American history of the Great Lakes.

The federal process for formal geographic name changes often involves interagency coordination, including the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and related naming authorities, but the White House page itself, as provided here, does not include a Federal Register publication. It also references an earlier order from 2025, which is described on the presidential actions page as a foundation for the stated policy.

While the administration’s naming directive is now publicly posted, confirmation of any implementing step through a Federal Register notice was not included in the provided records. As a result, the scope of any government-wide requirement beyond map labeling by technology firms is not established in the material provided.

Google’s update, as described by CBS News, illustrates how the administration’s policy can translate into day-to-day information displayed to users. For residents and travelers in the Great Lakes region, the label could affect route planning, search results, and written references that rely on common mapping outputs, even if underlying jurisdictional boundaries of the water body remain unchanged.

The immediate next step for anyone seeking the most complete legal record would be a check for any Federal Register publication or agency implementation guidance related to the presidential actions page, as well as any updates from mapping providers about the countries or contexts where the name change appears.

Why It Matters

The renaming directive is an example of how executive-branch policy choices can affect widely used information tools like mapping services through labeling changes.
If further implementation guidance or Federal Register action exists, it would clarify whether additional agencies, contractors, or government communications are expected to follow the new name.
The practical impact for the public is likely to appear first in search and navigation outputs, which can influence how people reference the lake in everyday use.
Whether and how the change applies across jurisdictions, platforms, and contexts depends on the extent of official implementation beyond the posted presidential actions page.

Sources

Key Facts

The White House posted an Aug. 27 presidential actions entry titled “Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America,” describing an order and the administration’s policy rationale.
The White House entry says the order is issued under the president’s authority and references an earlier Executive Order 14172 from Jan. 20, 2025.
CBS News reported Aug. 30 that Google has begun rolling out changes to how its maps display the lake’s name in the United States.
The provided materials do not include a Federal Register publication or implementing guidance tied to the renaming directive.
The CBS News report focused on map labeling changes shown to U.S. users rather than describing any global rollout or technical details.