In a surprising move, major tech companies have officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on maps in the United States. This change follows an executive order signed by Donald Trump on his first day back in office.
While many Trump supporters often criticize name changes in the LGBTQ+ community, they seem to have no issue with renaming an entire body of water. In fact, Trump has gone so far as to remove reporters from events for not using the new name.
However, the change is mostly limited to the U.S. According to Google, people in Mexico will still see ‘Gulf of Mexico,’ while others worldwide will see both names.
Tech Giants Follow Government Orders
Google explained in a blog post that they made the update based on data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). “The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) in the U.S. has officially updated the name to ‘Gulf of America,'” Google stated.
“As part of our standard procedures, we are rolling out this change in the U.S.,” they added. “People in the U.S. will see ‘Gulf of America,’ while people in Mexico will continue to see ‘Gulf of Mexico.’ Others will see both names.”
Shortly after Google made the change, Apple Maps followed suit, leaving many iPhone users shocked to wake up and find the new name on their screens.
Trump Declares ‘Gulf of America Day’
As if renaming the Gulf wasn’t enough, Trump declared February 9th as ‘Gulf of America Day.’ While heading to the Super Bowl, he announced, “Today, I am honored to recognize February 9, 2025, as the first-ever ‘Gulf of America Day.'” He even made the announcement aboard Air Force One, saying, “We are flying right over it right now, so we thought this would be appropriate.”
Mixed Reactions on Social Media
The internet had plenty to say about the name change. One person compared it to Twitter’s rebranding, joking, “Deadnaming the Gulf of Mexico just like I deadname Twitter.” Another user sarcastically commented, “Grocery and gas prices keep going up, but he’s busy renaming a body of water.”
Others pointed out how confusing it will be for international users who now see both names, saying, “It’s the metric system debate all over again.”
Final Thoughts
While some Americans may celebrate having a “Gulf of their own,” the name Gulf of Mexico has been in use for nearly 500 years. Despite the government’s official update, the rest of the world—and history—may not be so quick to accept the change.
