The place names of the Maghreb come from a variety of origins, mostly Arabic and Berber, but including a few derived from Phoenician, Latin, and several other languages. This is well illustrated by the three largest cities of Algeria, for instance: Algiers from Arabic al-jazâ'ir "the islands", Oran from Wahran from Berber wa-iharan "place of lions", and Constantine (Arabic Qasantina قسنطينة) from the Latin name of the emperor Constantine. For a Phoenician name, one has to look a little harder, but take, for instance, Jijel, shortened from Latin Igilgili, from Phoenician i gilgilt, "Island of the Skull" (according to Lipinski.)

The following toponymic elements are common in place names in the Maghreb:

• agadir, granary. Berber, from Phoenician gader
• aghbal أغبال, spring. Berber
• adrar أدرار, mountain. Berber
• âin عين, pl. âyoune عيون, spring. Arabic
• aït or ath آيت, sons of. Berber
• âzib عزيب, settlement (originally, especially military.) Arabic
• azrou أزرو, stone. From "azru" in Berber
• beni بني, sons of. Arabic
• berkane بركان, black. From Berber aberkan.
• bordj برج, fort. Arabic, from Latin
• bou بو, place of (literally "father of"). Maghreb Arabic and Berber, from Arabic abû أبو.
• casbah قصبة, old quarter of a town. Arabic
• chergui شرقي (pl. cheraga شراقة), eastern. Arabic
• chott شطّ, a swampy salt lake. Maghreb Arabic, from Arabic shaati' شاطئ
• dar دار, pl. diar ديار, home. Arabic
• djebel جبل, mountain. Arabic
• djemaa جامع, mosque. Arabic
• douar دوار, (traditionally) region about the size of a county. Arabic
• el الـ, the. Arabic
• erg, field of dunes (in the Sahara.)
• foggara , irrigation channel (in the Sahara.)
• gharbi غربي, western. Arabic
• hammada , a barren rock plain (in the Sahara.)
• hamra f., hmar m. أحمر, red. Arabic
• hassi حاسي, well (in the Sahara.)
• idhan, sand dunes, Tamahaq, the Tuareg language.
• ifrane, caves. Berber
• ighil, hill. Berber
• in, of, Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
• kalaa قلعة, fortress. Arabic
• kebir كبير, big. Arabic
• khemis خميس, Thursday. Arabic
• ksar قصر, fortified town, castle. Arabic from Latin castrum
• lalla لالاّ, female saint. Maghreb Arabic from Berber
• larbâa, Wednesday. Arabic
• melloul ملول, mellal ملال, mellil مليل, white. From Berber amellal.
• mersa مرسى, port. Arabic
• n ن, of. Berber
• ouled ولاد, sons of. Maghreb Arabic from Arabic 'awlâd أولاد.
• ras راس, cape, head. Arabic
• sebkha , a salt pan
• seghir صغير, small. Arabic
• souk سوق, market. Arabic
• si سي or sidi سيدي, male saint. Arabic
• tadrart Tamahaq, Tuareg word meaning the rock.
• tala تالا, spring. Berber; attested as early as Sallust's time in the form Thala.
• tan, tin of, in Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
• taourirt تاوريرت, hill. Berber
• tedles تدلس, reeds. Berber
• tehe pass, Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
• tell تل, hill. Arabic
• tizi تيزي, pass. Berber
• oued واد. Maghreb Arabic, from Arabic wâdî وادي
• wilaya ولاية, province. Literary Arabic
• wan, win of, Tamahaq, Tuareg language.
• zaouia زاوية, a Quranic school. Maghrebi Arabic, from Arabic meaning "corner".
• zemmour زمور. Berber azemmur, f. tazemmurt "olive tree".
• Zenati زناتي, from the medieval Berber tribe Zenata.
• zeriba زريبة, stockade. Arabic
• zmala زمالة, pl. zmoul زمول, encampment.