President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” has now been followed by a similar proposal involving another Great Lake. A Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania is preparing a resolution seeking to rename Lake Erie as “Lake Pennsylvania”.State Representative David Maloney argues that the state has a strong economic and cultural connection with the Great Lake. He is expected to urge President Donald Trump, Congress and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to take steps towards changing the lake’s name, according to a an official statement issued by him, Newsweek reported.Maloney represents Pennsylvania’s 130th Legislative District in Berks County. He said Pennsylvanians regularly travel to Lake Erie for boating, fishing and family visits, with visitors spending money along the state’s shoreline. He also referred to research by Pennsylvania Sea Grant and said Pennsylvania stocked almost 500,000 yearling steelhead in 2025, which he said was about 40% of the steelhead stocked across the lake.The proposal comes about two weeks after Trump signed an executive order directing US federal agencies to use the name “Lake America” for Lake Ontario. Trump signed the order on August 27, during growing tensions between the United States and Canada over trade. The order requires US federal agencies to use the new name on maps, documents and databases.The Lake Ontario decision itself has faced resistance in Canada and parts of the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the name change, saying the lake’s name comes from the language of the Indigenous Wendat people and predates both Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence. Several US governors in the Great Lakes region also dismissed the move.
Why Maloney wants Lake Erie renamed
Maloney said Pennsylvania has a particular connection with Lake Erie, which borders the state. He pointed to recreation and fishing as reasons for the proposed name change.“Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada has four others,” Maloney said.His office told Newsweek that the proposal is based on how Pennsylvanians care for the lake and how residents of other states also visit it for recreation and fishing. “Be proud and own it,” the office said.Lake Erie is shared by the United States and Canada. Ontario lies along its northern shore, while Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York border it on the American side. It is the smallest Great Lake by volume and the shallowest.
Where the name Lake Erie comes from
According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the name comes from the Indigenous people who lived along its southern shore when Europeans reached the area in the early 1600s.“Erie” is a shortened form of the Iroquoian word “Erielhonan”, which means “long tail” and refers to the eastern cougar,The National Museum of the Great Lakes says Europeans discovered Lake Erie last among the Great Lakes. Control of the lake was also strategically important because it provided access to areas above Niagara Falls.
Would ‘Lake Pennsylvania’ become official?
Maloney’s proposal would face the same broader issue surrounding any US attempt to change the name of a body of water shared with another country.The US Board on Geographic Names says proposals to change existing geographic names require a compelling reason and evidence of support. The board generally discourages changes to existing names.If the federal government approved the change, “Lake Pennsylvania” would become the name used by US federal departments and agencies. But Canada has its own geographical naming authorities, so a US decision would not automatically change the lake’s official name in Canada.
