Birch Family History

English, German, Danish, and Swedish: topographic name for someone who lived by a birch tree or in a birch wood, from a Germanic word meaning ‘birch’ (Old English birce ‘birch’, Middle High German birche, Old Danish birk). In some cases, the German name may be derived from places named with this word, such as Birch in Aargau (see Birke). In Swedish, the name is in many instances ornamental.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press