Ruston is an English surname and place name found in Norfolk and Yorkshire, usually explained as "Rust's farmstead" or the settlement of a man called Rust; it is also the name of a university town in Louisiana. As a first name it fits the current fashion for -ton names like Easton and Weston. In the United States Ruston ranked number 6733 in 2000 and has climbed in fits and starts to number 2564 in 2025, its best rank so far.