The term "Ambazonia" is derived from the word Ambozes, the local name for the bay at the mouth of the river, known in English as. The name was coined by in 1984 as part of a campaign for the restoration of autonomy and preservation of Anglophone institutions in the region.

The term Ambazonia is more usually associated with the separatist or independence-seeking faction, while the Cameroonian government and other official sources, such as the UN, continue to refer to the "Northwest Region" and "Southwest Region" (or sometimes the "NoSo" regions), the official names of the two administrative provinces since 1972. As an alternative to "Ambazonia", separatists have also used "Ambaland". Other sources may also refer to "Southern Cameroons", "Anglophone Cameroon" or "Cameroon's Anglophone regions".

To refer to the French-speaking parts of Cameroon, Ambazonian separatists have used the term "la République"[16] and more derogatory descriptors like "banana republic" or "colonial Cameroun". "Banana republic" is used as a criticism of the Cameroonian institutions, whereas "colonial Cameroun" is used to criticize the Francophone dominance.[1] The Ambazonian rebels call the war zone of the Anglophone Crisis "Ground Zero", a reference to the destruction caused by the civil war.[17]