In the days following President Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” several major digital mapping services have updated their platforms to reflect the new designation, but one notable exception remains. Google Maps has begun directing U.S. users to “Lake America” when searching for the international boundary lake, while Apple Maps has yet to adopt the change, although it has previously implemented similar renamings such as the “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America.”

Mapquest, however, has resisted this shift. On Friday, the company posted on Facebook a declaration that it would not change the lake’s name on its maps. Alongside the statement, Mapquest introduced a customization tool allowing users to download maps featuring names of their choosing for the lake. This position stands out amid the broader adoption of President Trump’s renaming initiative.

Mapquest's continued presence in the mapping market is noteworthy, given its history and recent ownership changes. Founded in 1996 as a pioneering online mapping service, it was acquired by America Online in 1999 for $1.1 billion, an amount equivalent to roughly $2.2 billion today. The platform lost market share over the subsequent years, passing into Verizon’s control after its purchase of AOL in 2015. In 2019, Verizon quietly sold Mapquest to System1, an advertising company based in Marina del Rey, a deal reportedly too small to warrant public filing.

Doug Berger, Mapquest’s general manager, said the company has seen a surge in interest since the announcement of the lake’s renaming, with hundreds of thousands of new downloads in recent weeks. This increase suggests the debate has introduced the longtime mapping service to a broader, possibly younger audience.

The effort to rename Lake Ontario has raised questions about the scope of presidential authority. Experts in cartography and international governance note that the Great Lakes have been jointly managed by the United States and Canada for more than a century, including the naming conventions established by the binational commission overseeing them. While the U.S. president can dictate names for federal agencies and official maps, other countries and private map providers are legally under no obligation to recognize or implement such unilateral changes. This distinction has left the issue of Lake Ontario’s name in a state of ambiguity outside certain U.S. federal platforms.