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President Donald Trump ��������. executive order to , the , has resulted in lots of discussion. While for some, such renaming might seem less important than the big problems the country faces, there is a formal process in the United States for renaming places, and that process is taken seriously.

Usually, so people don’t get confused, official, agreed-upon names are used by the government. In the U.S., place names are standardized by the , which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, the agency in charge of making maps.

, Trump asks the Board on Geographic Names “to honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans” and change its policies and procedures to reflect that.

Usually, renaming a place starts locally. The people in the state or county propose a name change and gather support. The process in each state is different.

How to change a place name

Minnesota recently in Minneapolis to Bde Maka Ska, which the Minneapolis Park Board described as “a Dakota name for the lake that has been passed down in oral history for many years.”

The board voted to change the name and took its request to the county commissioners. When the county agreed, the request was then sent to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which . Then, the state of Minnesota sent the request to the Board on Geographic Names, which made it .

It ��������. a lot of paperwork for something so seemingly minor, but people get passionate about place names. to rename Denali from the , Mount McKinley.

The state of Alaska , but the Board on Geographic Names didn’t take action. Members of the Ohio congressional delegation – President William McKinley was from Ohio – to requests to rename the mountain, and the board did not act on those requests.

The president appoints the . The secretary works with the heads of related agencies to appoint the Board on Geographic Names. Current committee policy states, “, land management agencies, local governments, and Tribal Governments are actively pursued.”

In 2015, President Barack Obama named a new leader for the . Just as Obama made a trip to , Jewell declared the name change official under a law that allows the secretary of the Interior to change a name if the .

Today we’re returning Mount McKinley to its native name - Denali, a step to reflect the heritage of Alaska Natives.

— President Obama (@POTUS44)

“This name change to many Alaska Natives,” Jewell said. “The name Denali has been official for use by the State of Alaska since 1975, but even more importantly, the mountain has been known as Denali for generations. With our own sense of reverence for this place, we are officially renaming the mountain Denali in recognition of the traditions of Alaska Natives and the strong support of the people of Alaska.”

If someone objects to a name change, they could ask the courts to rule on whether the name change was made legally. Going back to Bde Maka Ska, some people objected to changing the name from Lake Calhoun, . Eventually, the Minnesota Supreme Court .

Alaska ��������. two U.S. senators and prominent state figures have .

How not to change a place name

Renaming the Gulf of Mexico is a different kind of case, however, from renaming a geographic place within U.S. borders.

U.S. On the coast, are considered part of that country, but outside of that is international waters.

The Board on Geographic Names could change the name to Gulf of America on official U.S. maps, but there is no international board in charge of place names. Each country decides what to call places. And there is no official way for the U.S. to make other countries change the name.

It ��������. possible that the U.S. could formally ask other countries to change the name, or even impose sanctions against countries that don’t comply.

If the names were officially changed in the U.S., the government would use the new names in official documents, signage and maps. As for all the people and companies in the world that make maps, they usually use the official names. But there is nothing that would force them to, if they believed that a certain name is more widely recognized.

On Jan. 24, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a statement on the name changes:

“In accordance with President Donald J. Trump ��������. recent executive order, the Department of the Interior is proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that honor the legacy of American greatness, with efforts already underway.

"As directed by the President, the Gulf of Mexico will now officially be known as the Gulf of America and North America ��������. highest peak will once again bear the name Mount McKinley….The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, under the purview of the Department of the Interior, is working expeditiously to update the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System to reflect these changes, effective immediately for federal use.”

This story has been updated to reflect the Department of Interior ��������. statement on Jan. 25, 2025.