MapQuest said last week that it soared to the top of Apple's App Store navigation rankings after deciding to keep the historical name of Lake America — Lake Ontario — on its maps.

Hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the app after the company reaffirmed it would continue using the traditional names for lakes and gulfs, driving usage to roughly 50 times its normal level, according to MapQuest. As of 7 p.m. PDT on Aug. 30, the company said it ranked as the No. 1 navigation app and the No. 8 free app overall in the U.S. Apple App Store, and it climbed to No. 2 among all free apps in Canada.

"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," Doug Berger, general manager of MapQuest, said in a statement. "Hundreds of thousands of people signaled to us this weekend that we got it right, by downloading our app," Berger added.

The surge followed President Donald Trump's order that the body of water be renamed "Lake America." While Google Maps and Apple Maps adopted the change for U.S. users (Apple Maps renames Lake Ontario 'Lake America' for US users after Trump order; Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for US users after Trump order: 'It's official!'), MapQuest said it would continue displaying Lake Ontario, mirroring its earlier decision not to replace "Gulf of Mexico" with "Gulf of America." The company also expanded a feature allowing users to rename Lake Ontario within the app themselves, building on a tool it first launched for the Gulf of Mexico in February 2025.

Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 27 directing the Interior Department to officially rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" within the United States, amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. The name change follows earlier Trump administration orders affecting map labels, including the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley (Google Maps update: Gulf of America, Mount McKinley will be in after Trump orders name changes).

The episode is the latest instance of geographic naming decisions becoming flashpoints for major mapping platforms. Google and Apple have generally applied U.S. naming changes for American users while showing previous names elsewhere, a practice they also followed with the Gulf of America, leaving smaller competitors room to differentiate themselves by keeping the older labels. MapQuest, one of the earliest online mapping services, has in recent years operated as a smaller player in a market dominated by Google Maps and Apple Maps, making the App Store surge a notable visibility moment for the brand.

Eric Yaverbaum, CEO of public relations firm Ericho Communications, told FOX Business that MapQuest capitalized on a cultural moment closely tied to its business. "What worked for them was they didn't force this," Yaverbaum said. "They're an expert at one thing: maps. They get to weigh in on one thing: maps."

Yaverbaum said the viral attention presents MapQuest with an opportunity to revive its brand and reconnect with consumers. "You want to have a redo on your brand, you want to do a rebrand — boy, did they just open a big door," he said.

However, he cautioned that companies should be careful when wading into political issues. "Generally speaking, I counsel my clients to stay out of politics. You're going to lose half your audience. So if you're going to play, play safely," Yaverbaum said.

MapQuest could not immediately be reached by FOX Business for comment.