Associated Press to keep using Lake Ontario, not Lake America

The Associated Press says it will continue to call Lake Ontario by its original name rather than use Lake America, the name U.S. President Donald Trump chose in an executive order.

In guidance to staff, the news agency said place names must be easily recognizable to broad audiences. It noted that Canada has said it will not adopt the change and instructed journalists to use Lake Ontario while acknowledging and explaining Trump’s preferred name when relevant to a story.

The agency said no single body determines the names of international bodies of water, although Trump has wide latitude over how the U.S. government recognizes geographical places and landmarks. It also noted that Lake Ontario has carried its name for more than 400 years, that “Ontario” is derived from the northern Iroquoian language family, and that Ontario took its name from the lake.

The AP contrasted its approach with other executive-order name changes. It now uses Mount McKinley, rather than Denali, for North America’s tallest peak because the mountain lies entirely in the United States and Trump has authority over federal geographical names. It continues to use Gulf of Mexico, rather than Gulf of America, because that body of water forms a shared border between Mexico and the United States.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2026.