Why rename the Gulf of Mexico?

The Gulf of Mexico is dead... Long live the Gulf of Mexico!

The Gulf of Mexico has been named the Gulf of Mexico since before the United States was ever a thing. Map circa 1689 via davidrumsey.com.

So this has been a weird week huh? It’s not every day that politicians actively undertake efforts to rename global bodies of water and yet, here we are! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you haven’t heard yet, Donald Trump has signed an executive order to officially rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. And while this may seem like a simple distraction, or a way of Trump aiming to put his stamp on the world, the reality is that naming places is a way of projecting power. This has been the case since the days when Europeans sailed around the world and renamed everything based on their own people or places.

For example, I’m about as far away from Europe as you can get (Portland, Oregon) and yet I live near a mountain named for British Admiral Samuel Hood (Mount Hood), who never actually visited the mountain. I also live off a river named for Christopher Columbus (Columbia River) and near a city named for George Vancouver (Vancouver, Washington). And those are just the large things. The naming goes on and on and on. We LOVE to name things after people and places that otherwise have NOTHING to do with those places.

But renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America is a little different. And there are multiple layers at play here. Not least because the Gulf of Mexico borders Mexico just as much as it does the United States. So it’s not like the United States is reclaiming a long lost name from a place that has nothing to do with it, such as when local place reclaim long lost indigenous names from European names. Were that the case, renaming it might feel a bit more acceptable, authentic even. That’s not what’s happening here though.

More than that, the Gulf of Mexico has been the Gulf of Mexico for much longer than the United States has ever existed. As far as we can tell, the earliest mention of the Gulf of Mexico was on a 1584 map by Abraham Ortelius. Now, I don’t actually have access to this map, so I can’t confirm. However, at the top of this article is a map dated 1689 that clearly shows the Gulf of Mexico. This map predates the United States by almost a full century. So there’s absolutely no historic claim at play either.

Finally, renaming it to the Gulf of America isn’t the “win” for the United States that I think Donald Trump believes it is. We’re all Americans on this side of the world. Whether you’re from Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Costa Rica, etc. you’re an American because you live in either North or South America. Just like how people who live in Europe are European and how people who live in Africa are African. It’s the continental demonym for us all.

All this is to say, however, that renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America isn’t about righting some incorrect place name, nor is it about renaming it after the United States (at least not really). It’s about power.

Renaming is power

It might seem silly, but the ability to call a place whatever you want is a very powerful thing. And right now, at the apex of his power, popularity, and prominence on the world stage, Donald Trump is looking to leave his mark. And one of the ways he wants to do this is by renaming things to what he would prefer. In this case, its renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

And while I’ve already shown why renaming the Gulf of Mexico is kind of stupid, it’s not about the logic of it at all. Trump has made it his mission to raise the United States’ prominence above all others, perhaps most notably Mexico and Canada. These two countries border the United States and, therefore, Trump has more dealings with them than anyone else. Where the Gulf of Mexico renaming comes into play here, in my opinion, is that Trump is trying to downplay the identity and, dare I say, even sovereignty of Mexico. This would be similar to how Trump has been conveniently calling Canada the 51st state. It seems silly, but these things can all amount to very dangerous ideas in the years and decades that follow.

In the end, just because Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico doesn't mean it will be renamed. Maps, as it turns out, aren’t so easy to change these days. But it will be interesting to see how all this plays out. And one very big map that I’m particularly worried will follow suit with this is Google Maps. Big tech has been lining up to please Donald Trump in recent weeks and Google is no different here. Especially if they’re trying to curry favor in the midst of an anti-trust lawsuit. So I really wouldn’t be surprised if Google Maps ends up making this change. For now though, as of January 24th, 2025… it’s still the Gulf of Mexico.