Adopted 2 February 1926 on C.326 (file H.1.26 pt.1). Name first appears on British Admiralty Chart 1923B, published 12 December 1867 from surveys undertaken by Capt. Daniel Pender and officers of HMS Beaver in 1866; the island is unnamed on an 1865 chart of the same area, suggesting that the name came into use in 1866 or 1867. Origin & significance of name not known; although there has been speculation of a connection between "Swindle" Island and "Price" Island nearby to the south, it is known that Capt. Pender had named Price Island after Captain John Adolphus Price, RN.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

"The origin of this intriguing name, unfortunately, is unknown. It first appears on an Admiralty chart dated 1867, though not on a chart of the same area dated 1865. The island is home to Klemtu, a fishing settlement founded about 1875 by the Kitasoo and Xai'xais First Nations, who moved to the area from their respective traditional territories in order to be closer to coastal shipping routes."

Source: Scott, Andrew; "The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names"; Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, 2009.