Find out how popular the last name Birch is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Birch.

Birch, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Birch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Birch in America

Birch is the 2954th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Birch surname appeared 12,161 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Birch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Birch to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Birch

The surname BIRCH is of English origin and derives from the Old English word 'birce', meaning the birch tree. It originally referred to someone living near birch trees or in an area abundant with birch.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing variations such as Birche, Byrche, and Burch. One of the earliest known references is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a Thomas de la Birche is mentioned.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several place names containing the element 'birch', such as Birchanger in Essex and Birchover in Derbyshire, indicating the prevalence of birch trees in those areas.

Notable individuals bearing the surname BIRCH include Thomas Birch (1705-1766), an English historian and biographer known for his works on the lives of illustrious persons. Another prominent figure was Samuel Birch (1813-1885), an English Egyptologist and a renowned expert on Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Sir John Birch (1615-1691) was an English Baptist minister and one of the founders of the Particular Baptists. He played a significant role in the development of the Baptist denomination in England.

In the literary world, Anna Laetitia Barbauld (née Aikin) (1743-1825), an English poet and essayist, was born Anna Laetitia Birch before her marriage.

Thomas Birch (1779-1851), an English civil engineer, is remembered for his contributions to the construction of the renowned Menai Suspension Bridge in Wales, which was completed in 1826.

The BIRCH surname has a long and rich history, with its roots firmly planted in the English countryside and its branches extending to various fields, including literature, religion, history, and engineering.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Birch

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Birch.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Birch was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Birch has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Birch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Birch, please contact us.

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