doorplate

American  

[dawr-pleyt, dohr-] / ˈdɔrˌpleɪt, ˈdoʊr- /

noun

1. a small identification plate on the outside door of a house or room, bearing the occupant's name, the apartment or house number, or the like.

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Etymology

Origin of doorplate

First recorded in 1815–25; door + plate ¹

Example Sentences

“A handwritten sign on a wall, a name on a doorplate, a flyer on a telephone pole, or an unusual magazine at a newsstand would spin me toward a story.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Standing in a central and open place it was not difficult to discover, a well-burnished brass doorplate bearing their names prominently. 

From Life's Little Ironies by Hardy, Thomas

The newly painted door was bright with love; the polished doorplate and bell handle glistened with love.

From Round the Block by Bouton, John Bell

Timothy concluded that she was not, after all, the lady of the house; and, remembering the marble doorplate in the orchard, tried again.

From Timothy's Quest A Story for Anybody, Young or Old, Who Cares to Read It by Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith

Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

From Timothy's Quest A Story for Anybody, Young or Old, Who Cares to Read It by Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith