Doorman

A person employed to stand at the entrance of a building to assist residents and visitors.

Doorman is a surprisingly recent compound, appearing only in the late 1800s with the rise of luxury apartment buildings in American cities. Before this, such positions were called 'porter' (from Latin 'portare,' to carry) or 'hall boy.' The specific term 'doorman' emerged when urban apartment living created a new social class distinction - buildings wealthy enough to have someone dedicated solely to door duties, not general building maintenance.