Ruska

Ruska is a name that can refer to both a surname and a place name in Slavic-speaking regions. The spelling appears in Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and German-language contexts. In Slavic languages, forms derived from Rus' or Russia commonly appear in toponyms and family names, with the suffix -ka often functioning as a feminine form or diminutive.

As a toponym, Ruska appears in several localities in Central and Eastern Europe, where it typically denotes villages or districts with historical connections to broader Rus' or Russian influence. The precise reference depends on the country and local history.

As a surname, Ruska is used in German-speaking and Slavic-speaking areas. Notable individuals include Ernst Ruska (1906–1988), a German electrical engineer who co-invented the electron microscope and shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. The surname is found among various persons in academia, science, and public life, reflecting its broad geographic distribution.

Ruska thus functions as both a geographic name and a family name, illustrating historical and cultural connections across Eastern and Central Europe and among German-speaking communities.