Social media posts recently circulated a purported 17th-century French map that used the same designation for the waterway
WASHINGTON, DC: Following President Donald Trump’s executive action to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America‘, a debate has ignited surrounding the true history behind the body of water’s nomenclature.
An image currently making the rounds online suggests that French settlers historically referred to the lake as “Lac America” in the 17th century, prompting discussions over whether the administration simply revived a historical term. A closer look at the facts reveals the reality behind this assertion.
Claim: Trump revived a historical designation for Lake America
The controversy began when Trump directed that Lake Ontario be rebranded as “Lake America” amid escalating trade tensions with Canada. Shortly after, internet users began circulating what was presented as an antique French map from the 1600s utilizing the exact same title.
“Take a look at that… it seems Trump is merely correcting what was once called Lake America ages ago,” read the caption of a September 1, 2026, Facebook post, which characterized the graphic as an “old Canadian map in French” labeling the lake as “Lac America ou de Saint-Louis.”
Identical claims quickly popped up across platforms like Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn, circulating in both English and French.
These digital rumors surfaced immediately following the breakdown of US-Canada trade negotiations, which served as the catalyst for the president’s push to alter the name of the Great Lake shared by the two nations.
In the wake of the announcement, the White House and the president shared multiple modified maps advocating for the “Lake America” moniker. On September 7, a digitally altered graphic was posted depicting the entirety of the North American continent under the banner of the “United States of America.”
Fact Check: The assertion is entirely untrue
The viral posts promoting the existence of a historical “Lac America” map are fabricated. A reverse image lookup traces the graphic back to archival documents housed in the University of Toronto’s digital library.
However, the authentic document from 1688—attributed to French missionary Pierre Raffeix—actually designates the water body as “Lac Ontario ou de Saint-Louis.”
This exact piece can also be verified through the Research Laboratories of Archaeology website at the University of North Carolina.
Following Trump’s August 27, 2026, executive directive changing the lake’s title, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pointed out that the name Lake Ontario derives from Indigenous roots, predating the establishment of both the United States and Canada.
Referencing Raffeix’s original “Lac Ontario” document in an August 28 blog post, the Arizona-based Museum of Indigenous Peoples noted that the term stems from the Huron-Wyandot word “Ontarí,” translating to “beautiful lake” or “great lake.”
Additional archives connect the original title to the Iroquoian expressions “kanadario” or “skanadario.”
Furthermore, records from the Wisconsin State Cartographer’s Office and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy indicate that early French explorers occasionally referred to the area as “Saint Louis Lake,” but never by the term circulated in the recent social media posts.