The term has a record of being used in the British Empire, military slang, and the male LGBT community.

Historically, houseboy was a term used in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for a male domestic servant.

He was usually, but not always, a native person who worked for a British family living in the non-British regions of the empire.

Houseboy was also used as an American slang term originating in the Second World War for a young teenager who helped American soldiers perform basic responsibilities like cleaning, laundry, ironing, shoe-shining, running errands, etc.

A houseboy, as used by members of the LGBT community, refers to a young man who performs domestic work, where the employment normally has an erotic, though not necessarily sexual, aspect.