Ruth Nortje (born 17 January 1967) is a South African-born, American canoe sprinter who competed from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s (decade). She won three medals for the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo.
Nortje also competed for South Africa in two Summer Olympics, earning her best finish of seventh in the K-1 500 m event at Sydney in 2000.