Doorman (profession)

A doorman (or doorwoman/doorperson), also called a porter in British English,[1] is a person hired to provide courtesy and security services at a residential building or hotel.

They will often provide other courtesy services such as signing for packages, carrying luggage between the elevator and the street, or hailing taxis for residents and guests.

The occupation dates back at least to the time of Plautus under the Roman Republic where its name was iānitor (from iānua, 'door', the root of "janitor").

Historically they were Irish; in more recent times they are often Hispanic or Eastern European (Polish, Albanian, Montenegrin, and Macedonian).

[4] In Egypt, doormen are called bawab, and in modern times, they have been described by the BBC as security guards, porters, enforcers of social mores and general snoops, all rolled into one.