Federal order renames Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' in U.S. geographic records

What happened

• An Executive Order (dated August 27, 2026) directs the Secretary of the Interior, working with the Board on Geographic Names, to rename the body of water currently named Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
• The Secretary and Board must take appropriate actions and update the federal Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and related federal references within 30 days.

What the order directs (concrete actions)

• Rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in federal records and remove references to “Lake Ontario” from GNIS.
• The Board on Geographic Names must provide guidance so federal maps, contracts, and other agency documents and communications use the new name.
• The order cites authority under 43 U.S.C. 364–364f and assigns publication costs to the Department of the Interior.

Where and who it affects

• The order describes the lake as bounded on the south and east by the State of New York and on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario.
• It applies to Federal Government references, systems, maps, contracts, and communications; state, provincial, or foreign naming is not addressed by this federal action.

Key dates and limits

• Agencies have 30 days from the order date to begin the renaming and GNIS updates.
• Implementation is to follow applicable law and is subject to the availability of appropriations; the order says it does not create enforceable private rights.

Context cited in the order

• The order notes U.S. investments and roles in the Great Lakes, including nearly $4 billion invested in the last decade and that the U.S. Coast Guard supplies 9 of 11 Great Lakes icebreaking vessels, as stated in the text.