The spelling "Paxtang" is from the original Indian name Peshtank, which meant "standing water".

In 1799, a court order divided Lower Paxton Township into two equal parts.

[7] Within Swatara Township, Calver Island in the Susquehanna River was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

[9] Census-designated places (unincorporated communities) in Swatara Township: As of the 2020 census,[11] there were 27,284 people and 9,292 households.

29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.