Pennsylvania Rep. Maloney Requests Renaming of Lake Erie

Pennsylvania state Representative David Maloney, a Republican, is requesting President Donald Trump to rename Lake Erie to “Lake Pennsylvania.” Maloney is working on a resolution urging Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill to initiate this name change. He believes this reflects the lake’s current role in Pennsylvania’s economy and identity.

“This is Pennsylvania’s only Great Lake,” Maloney stated. “Its modern economy and identity are tied to the boaters, anglers, families, and tourists who visit it. Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada owns four others. Pennsylvania has one. Let’s call it Lake Pennsylvania!”

Lake Erie, the smallest in volume and shallowest of the Great Lakes, covers a watershed of 12 million people, with 10.5 million in the U.S. and 1.9 million in Canada, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This proposal follows President Trump’s previous executive order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” a change unrecognized and rejected by Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized the traditional name in a statement, saying, “Naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now, and always.” The renaming affects only the U.S. federal government, so Canada and other entities are not bound to acknowledge the change.

Both Apple Maps and Google Maps updated their platforms to reflect the “Lake America” name for U.S. users after the executive order. Trump has also proposed changing New Mexico to “New America,” with several Democratic lawmakers opposing this potential alteration.

In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” Similar to other name changes, this rebranding applies only to the U.S. federal government, not affecting Mexico, international bodies, or private entities. Apple Maps and Google Maps also implemented this update for U.S. users, using a region-based approach tailored to the location of the user’s device.