Thornton Rust is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England.

It lies in the Yorkshire Dales about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Aysgarth, high on the south bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale.

At the time of the Norman invasion the manor belonged to Thor, but afterwards was granted to Count Alan of Brittany.

[3][4] The toponymy of the village name is derived from the combination of the Old English words of þorn and tūn, which gave the meaning of Thorn tree farm, and partly it is said from Bishop Restitutus, to whom the medieval chapel was claimed to have been dedicated, though evidence is lacking.

[6] The 2001 UK census showed that the population was split 50% male to 50% female.