How Lake Ontario got its name

The name Lake Ontario has Indigenous roots that date back centuries before European settlement in what is now Canada.

The name “Ontario” is generally traced to an Indigenous Iroquoian term, although historians and linguists continue to debate its exact origin and meaning.

Some interpretations connect the name to words referring to a lake or large body of water, while the popular translation “beautiful lake” is also frequently cited.

European explorers and mapmakers began recording Indigenous names for the Great Lakes during the 17th century. French maps eventually used forms of “Ontario,” including Lac Ontario, helping establish the name that is used today.

The lake itself played an important role in the development of the region, serving as a major transportation route for Indigenous peoples and, later, European settlers.

The name eventually extended beyond the lake.

When Canada was formed in 1867, the new province located along the western and northern shores of Lake Ontario was named Ontario, making the lake the source of the province's name.

Today, Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes by surface area and forms part of the international boundary between Canada and the United States.

While the precise linguistic history of “Ontario” remains the subject of discussion among researchers, its origins reflect the Indigenous history of the Great Lakes region — a history that predates the creation of both Canada and the province that bears its name.