Trump claims Google declined his request to rename the Atlantic Ocean

At a rally in Pendleton, South Carolina, President Donald J. Trump said he had asked Google Maps to rename the Atlantic Ocean and was told by CEO Sundar Pichai that such a change was not possible because oceans span multiple countries.

Trump recalled Pichai responding, "Please don’t ask us to do that," and added that he later suggested keeping the Atlantic name. He also mentioned earlier proposals to rename the Pacific as the "American Ocean" and to label an ocean as the "Trump Ocean," noting that he had previously sent Google a picture with that label.

The president’s effort to rename geographic features began with an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, directing U.S. agencies to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. In August 2026, he signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America for U.S. federal use, a change rejected by Canadian officials.

According to a Congressional Research Service report, names of oceans and seas for federal use are determined by the Foreign Names Committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. While a president can direct federal agencies to adopt new names, such changes are not binding internationally or on private companies.

Google Maps has updated its U.S. listings to reflect the Gulf of America and Lake America after the federal Geographic Names Information System was revised, but retains original names for users in other countries. The company said the updates follow its policy of mirroring official government sources. Other mapping services, such as MapQuest, have declined to adopt the new Gulf name, leading to a surge in downloads after the order.

Legal experts note that renaming an ocean shared by dozens of nations would face far greater challenges than altering the name of a lake or gulf.