MapQuest is drawing a line in the sand, or rather, on the map. The company, which has been navigating drivers for three decades, is refusing to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on its maps, even as President Donald Trump's executive order collides with an ongoing U.S.-Canada trade war.
Trump's latest geographic flex is reminiscent of his earlier declaration to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. As with that move, the name change has little economic impact and isn't globally recognized, but it puts mapping companies in a tricky spot: comply with the decree or stick with the status quo.
MapQuest, which calls itself the "OG of online mapping," made its choice clear with a simple tweet: "We're not changing it." And that decision is paying off in a big way.
MapQuest App Downloads Soar
On Monday, the company announced that mobile app downloads have skyrocketed since it took its stand. MapQuest is now the top-downloaded app in the Navigation category in the U.S., and it hit number four for all U.S. apps (excluding games) on the East Coast, according to TechCrunch. In Canada, the app reached number two.
Even more impressive, the MapQuest app climbed to number eight in the U.S. for all apps and games combined. That's a significant feat for a company that's been around since the mid-1990s.
To put the surge in perspective, MapQuest says it has seen "hundreds of thousands" of new downloads since announcing it would keep the Lake Ontario name. The company also reported that app usage has been 50 times average levels in recent days.
'Same Approach As Gulf of Mexico'
TechCrunch, citing Sensor Tower data, reports that MapQuest downloads reached 162,000 in the U.S. for the week beginning Aug. 24, and 184,000 globally for the same period.
"We took the same approach we did with the Gulf of Mexico: be part of the conversation, and give people an app that keeps the names they're familiar with," MapQuest general manager Doug Berger said in a statement. "Hundreds of thousands of people signaled to us this weekend that we got it right by downloading our app."
Not all mapping companies are taking the same route. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) and Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) have switched to "Lake America" on Google Maps, but only for users in the U.S. Users elsewhere still see Lake Ontario. This move aligns with official changes in the Geographic Names Information System.
As of this writing, Apple Inc. (AAPL) has not changed the name on Apple Maps, nor has it announced whether it will. Apple did rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America earlier this year, following Google's lead and Trump's directive.
Stock Rally
MapQuest's defiant tweet has generated millions of views on social media. In 2026 so far, the app has been downloaded more than 687,000 times globally, a 29% increase year-over-year, according to Sensor Tower. Since 2012, MapQuest has been downloaded 24.4 million times, with 97% of those downloads coming from the U.S.
The buzz has also lifted MapQuest's parent company, System1 Inc. (SST). The stock surged on Monday, trading as high as $2.63 before settling up 25.4% at $2.37 at the time of writing. System1, which also owns Info.com, HowStuffWorks, and Answers, has seen its shares remain down 40% year-to-date in 2026 despite the recent jump.
The company's second-quarter results showed revenue of $30.2 million, with System1 saying it plans to reduce debt in the second half of the year and roll out AI platform tools for apps like MapQuest.
MapQuest was previously owned by AOL and Verizon before landing under System1's umbrella.
So, while the political debate over lake names continues, MapQuest is betting that sticking to the familiar is good for business. And so far, the numbers suggest it's onto something.
