An English and German surname, Burch comes from the Old English term ‘birce’ and the Middle High German term ‘birche’ which both refer to birch wood or tree. The spelling variations for Burch include Birch, Berch and Birche. A German spelling for Burch would be Burg. In England the earliest Burch families were from the county of Lancashire in the Rusholme, Manchester area. From there the Burch name spread to Yorkshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the city of London. In Scotland the Burch name is located mostly in Lanarkshire, Wigtownshire, Ayrshire and Argyll counties. Within the United States the Burch families started in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia and Ohio. Famous: John Burch (English musician - pianist), Jeannine Burch (actress from Switzerland), Benjamin Franklin Burch (19th century pioneer in Oregon), Claire Burch (poet, filmmaker and writer), Billy Burch (professional ice hockey player), Jeff Burch (co-founder of the Marchand & Burch Wines of Western Australia), Marc Burch (professional soccer player) and George E. Burch (pioneer in the medical treatment of heart disease and the stopping of smoking).