The President signed an executive order on Aug. 27, 2026, directing the federal government to officially rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
The order, published in the Federal Register on Sept. 2, 2026, requires the Interior Department and the Board on Geographic Names to enact the change. The directive affects how the body of water is identified across all executive department and agency communications, contracts, and documents.
According to the executive order, the lake is the easternmost and gateway segment of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system. The order states that United States ports, carriers, and states derive a significant share of the system’s benefits in iron ore, limestone, coal, agricultural products, and other bulk commodities. The document also says the United States claims most of the lake’s volume because the deepest parts of the waters lie within United States territory.
The order states that the United States is the greatest protector of the Great Lakes, noting a nearly $4 billion investment in the freshwater ecosystem over the last decade. It says Canada invested far less in similar initiatives during the same period. The United States Coast Guard secures commercial shipping lanes free of charge by supplying nine of the 11 icebreaking vessels on the Great Lakes, according to the document.
The order gives the Secretary of the Interior 30 days from the signing date to take all appropriate actions to rename the lake, which is bounded on the south and east by New York. The Secretary, conjointly with the Board on Geographic Names, will update the Geographic Names Information System and remove all references to Lake Ontario. The board will provide guidance to ensure all federal government references, including maps and contracts, reflect the renaming.