Harwood Island adopted 27 April 1945 on C.3591, as labelled on Captain Vancouver's map, 1798, and on British Admiralty Chart 580, 1862 et seq. Name changed to Ahgykson Island (meaning "pointed nose" and referring to an ancient village site on this island) under provisions of the Tla'amin Treaty, 5 April 2016.

Source: BC place name cards, files, correspondence and/or research by BC Chief Geographer/Geographical Names Office.

The name Ahgykson translates to "pointed nose" in reference to [the island's] shape. Many Tla'amin people moved out to the island after the fire of 1918 destroyed most of the mainland in the vicinity of what is now known as Lund to Powell Lake. Ahgykson was also a village site for thousands of years as evidenced by numerous archaeological sites. Today, many Tla'amin people still utilize the island to gather a variety of traditional foods and medicines. Ahgykson is a phonetic spelling of a word in the language of the Tla'amin, Tlo'hos and Xwe'malhkwu people. Ayeahjuthum is what we call our language and linguists call the "Mainland Comox dialect."

Source: Sliammon Traditional Use Study, Sliammon Place Names Project & Sliammon Culture, Heritage and Language Committee 2010.