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.
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. 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.)
- ifrane, caves. Berber
- ighil, hill. Berber
- 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
- tala تالا, spring. Berber; attested as early as Sallust's time in the form Thala.
- taourirt تاوريرت, hill. Berber
- tedles تدلس, reeds. Berber
- tell تل, hill. Arabic
- tizi تيزي, pass. Berber
- oued واد. Maghreb Arabic, from Arabic wâdî وادي
- wilaya ولاية, province. Literary Arabic
- 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.