MapQuest Keeps Lake Ontario Name, Hits #1 in App Store

When President Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," one mapping company said no thanks. MapQuest kept the original name and watched downloads skyrocket.

The decision catapulted MapQuest to the number one navigation app in Apple's App Store within days. Hundreds of thousands of people voted with their phones, choosing a map that honors the lake's real identity.

"We saw the president signing the name change executive order, and we had a very quick conversation," says Doug Berger, MapQuest's general manager. The team immediately posted a simple statement: We're not changing it.

Google Maps, meanwhile, now autocorrects "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America" for U.S. users. The tech giant follows a policy of adopting official government names from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. Canadian users still see Lake Ontario because Canada never made the change.

Here's what most people don't know: private companies aren't required to follow federal name changes. The U.S. Geological Survey confirms that only federal agencies must use official names. States and private mapping companies can choose.

MapQuest leaned into the moment, launching a second site where people can give the lake their own creative names. The company turned an absurd situation into community engagement.

Lake Ontario carries deep meaning. The Indigenous name translates to "the lake is big" or "the lake is beautiful." Europeans first recorded it in the early 1600s, before either the U.S. or Canada existed as countries.

Why This Inspires

This story shows how corporate decisions can protect cultural heritage. Geography professor Derek Alderman explains that when institutions refuse politically motivated name changes, they prevent those changes from becoming permanent in everyday language.

MapQuest proved that a company can take a stand and win public support. Their downloads surged not because of flashy features or advertising, but because people wanted to support doing the right thing.

The response reveals something hopeful: given a choice, hundreds of thousands of people chose accuracy and respect for Indigenous names over political theater. They chose a lake that's been beautiful for centuries, no matter what anyone calls it.