Gulf of Mexico

The place name “Gulf of Mexico,” after the Nahuatl term Mexica (Aztecs), first appeared on a world map in 1550, when the body’s entire coastline was claimed by Spain.¹Derrick Jeter, “On the Naming of the Gulf of Mexico,” Y’allogy, May 22, 2025. Since the late 19^th century, the body of water has been bounded by Mexico, Cuba, and the United States, and the International Hydrographic Organization has long recognized it as the “Gulf of Mexico.” 

In January 2025, President Trump issued an executive order directing all federal agencies to use “Gulf of America,” using the hemispheric term “America” to refer to the United States.  He claimed that the Gulf “has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America. The Gulf was a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce,” and today is key to the oil and gas, fishing, tourism, and maritime industries.²Donald J. Trump, “Executive Order 14172: Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness, Federal Register, January 31, 2025. He directed the Department of the Interior to change the name, without going through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (the federal authority for natural feature names within U.S. borders) or international bodies.³Tiago Rogero, “Can Trump really rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America?,” The Guardian, January 20, 2025.

Mapping companies such as Google, Apple, and Bing quickly followed suit to change the name to “Gulf of America,” but most media outlets maintained references to the Gulf of Mexico.⁴Associated Press, “Apple changes Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on maps,” AP News, February 11, 2025. The Associated Press continued to use the name that has been used “for more than 400 years.”⁵Joshua Benton, “Trump wants news outlets to get on board with “Gulf of America” — or else. Will they?,” Nieman Lab, February 13, 2025. Trump temporarily evicted A.P. reporters from the White House Press Room, but was blocked by a federal judge.⁶Ella Lee, “Judge orders Trump White House to restore AP access,” The Hill, April 8, 2025. U.S. public opinion tended to be negative, with one poll showing 71 percent of respondents opposing the name change.⁷Marquette University, “New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds public strongly favors some Trump policies, strongly opposes others,” Marquette.edu, February 12, 2025.

Mexican Claudia Sheinbaum ridiculed Trump’s move while standing in front of a 1607 map that represented the present-day United States as América Mexicana (Mexican America), asking “That sounds nice, doesn’t it?”⁸Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, “Trump Renaming Gulf Of Mexico To ‘Gulf Of America.’ Here’s What He Can—And Can’t—Do,” Forbes, January 21, 2025. Mexico later sued Google to restore “Gulf of Mexico” on its maps for U.S. users, with Sheinbaum pointing out that “the U.S. government only calls the portion of the U.S. continental shelf the Gulf of America, not the entire gulf, because it wouldn’t have the authority to name the entire gulf.”⁹Guardian staff, “Mexico sues Google over changing Gulf of Mexico’s name for US users,” The Guardian, May 9, 2025.

U.S. federal agencies continued to use the name “Gulf of America,” even as U.S. society as a whole continues to use “Gulf of Mexico.”¹⁰Rachel Treisman, “Trump Renaming Gulf Of Mexico To ‘Gulf Of America.’ Here’s What He Can—And Can’t—Do,” Georgia Public Broadcasting, February 3, 2025.

Footnotes

• 1
  Derrick Jeter, “On the Naming of the Gulf of Mexico,” Y’allogy, May 22, 2025.
• 2
  Donald J. Trump, “Executive Order 14172: Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness, Federal Register, January 31, 2025.
• 3
  Tiago Rogero, “Can Trump really rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America?,” The Guardian, January 20, 2025.
• 4
  Associated Press, “Apple changes Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on maps,” AP News, February 11, 2025.
• 5
  Joshua Benton, “Trump wants news outlets to get on board with “Gulf of America” — or else. Will they?,” Nieman Lab, February 13, 2025.
• 6
  Ella Lee, “Judge orders Trump White House to restore AP access,” The Hill, April 8, 2025.
• 7
  Marquette University, “New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds public strongly favors some Trump policies, strongly opposes others,” Marquette.edu, February 12, 2025.
• 8
  Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, “Trump Renaming Gulf Of Mexico To ‘Gulf Of America.’ Here’s What He Can—And Can’t—Do,” Forbes, January 21, 2025.
• 9
  Guardian staff, “Mexico sues Google over changing Gulf of Mexico’s name for US users,” The Guardian, May 9, 2025.
• 10
  Rachel Treisman, “Trump Renaming Gulf Of Mexico To ‘Gulf Of America.’ Here’s What He Can—And Can’t—Do,” Georgia Public Broadcasting, February 3, 2025.