Pennsylvania state Representative David Maloney, a Republican, has made a request to President Donald Trump to change the name of Lake Erie to “Lake Pennsylvania.” This request follows other renaming initiatives undertaken by Trump.
Maloney is drafting a resolution that urges Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Congress to take action to rename Lake Erie. He argues that this change would better reflect the lake’s contemporary identity. “This is Pennsylvania’s only Great Lake. Its modern economy and identity are increasingly tied to the boaters, anglers, families, and tourists who come to enjoy it,” Maloney stated. He further pointed out that “Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada has four others.”
He emphasizes, “Pennsylvania has one. Let’s call it Lake Pennsylvania!”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Lake Erie is noted as the smallest Great Lake by volume and the shallowest. Around 12 million people live in its watershed, including 10.5 million in the United States and 1.9 million in Canada.
This request comes on the heels of Trump signing an executive order last month to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” a decision that Canada has officially rejected. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated, “We know that America is changing… Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now, and always.”
It’s worth noting that the renaming affects only the U.S. federal government; hence, Canada and other international bodies are not obligated to acknowledge the alteration. However, both Apple Maps and Google Maps did update the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users in the U.S. following Trump’s order.
Trump has also floated the idea of renaming New Mexico to “New America,” which has led Democratic lawmakers in the state to urge Apple and Google to maintain the state’s current name on their mapping applications.
Interestingly, Trump has even suggested renaming the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
On his first day back in office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” Similar to the situation with Lake Ontario, this order is limited to the U.S. federal government and doesn’t compel other countries or entities to follow suit.
