Birch

Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree.

The best known bearer of the name is former high-ranking Democratic Senator Birch Evans Bayh, who carried the name of his father and was the principal Senate sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment.

The birch tree has many notable qualities and uses — including the making of furniture, paper, canoes, and drums, is considered the national tree of Russia (where it used to be worshiped as a goddess), the state tree of New Hampshire, and has spiritual significance in several cultures.