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Is there a specific term for the labels used in offices and other places, which are mounted outside a person's office or cubicle and carry his name and other details?

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    A nameplate
    – user264
    Apr 2, 2013 at 10:10
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    When placed around a conference table, they're known as toblerones.
    – Barrie England
    Apr 2, 2013 at 10:32
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    @BarrieEngland: I've never heard that before (in the US or UK), but I like it :). For those that don't get the reference, a toblerone is a swiss chcolate bar in a triangular shape (google.co.uk/search?q=toblerone&tbm=isch)
    – Matt
    Apr 2, 2013 at 13:33
  • @Matt. I remember a cartoon in which a delegate to an international conference was desperately looking through an atlas on seeing a genuine bar of Toblerone chocolate next to where he was sitting. It would be indelicate of me to give his nationality.
    – Barrie England
    Apr 2, 2013 at 14:55

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As an alternative to "nameplate", the term plaque /plak/ refers to an object affixed to a wall, door, or other surface that has an inscription or decoration on it. It is often used to identify or commemorate somebody or something.

A door plaque would be affixed to an office door and might have the name and title of the person who occupies the office. It might also identify the room. (For example "Conference Room A" or "Engineering Dept".)

A wall plaque, mounted to a wall near the door, can serve the same purpose.

Q. Are you the head of security? A. That's what the plaque on the door says.

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While toblerones has been mentioned (cited in comments without references) as meaning nameplates around a conference table, the term place card or possibly name card is more likely to be used in that context. A place card is “A card set down at a table to inform a guest where they are to sit”.

Nameplate has already been mentioned. A nameplate is “A plate or plaque inscribed with a person's name, especially one on an office door”.

An alternative to nameplate as an office label is doorplate, “A plaque mounted on a door bearing information about the occupant or a room or building”.

Two more terms occasionally (but rarely) used for this purpose are:
• escutcheon, of which OED1 says “3. Anything shaped like, or resembling, an escutcheon: ... c. A key-hole plate, a name plate, etc.”
• placard, “A sheet of paper or cardboard with a written or printed announcement on one side for display in a public place”.

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Those labels are called nameplates; when they are placed around a conference table, they're known as toblerones1.

1 reference needed

Note: this answer is based on the comments by Bill Franke and Barrie England.

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  • No offence! but is it a copy of the comments above?
    – Max
    Apr 2, 2013 at 11:28
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    @Thor, yes, I posted this answer as a CW, though. The fact is that Bill's and Barrie's comments impede to anyone to post an answer whitout beaking the etiquette. But in this kind of cases CW answers are good.
    – user114
    Apr 2, 2013 at 11:34
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    ... oh, etiquette says: avoid plagiarism.
    – user114
    Apr 2, 2013 at 11:37
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    You can turn anyone's comments into an answer because the comments are under the cc-by-sa license. You do have to give credit, but you don't need permission.
    – user230
    Apr 2, 2013 at 16:48
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    @snailplane: Just because you can do so legally doesn't mean that doing so is polite. In future, I think it would be better to invite the commenters to post their comment as an answer - that way they have the opportunity to keep the rep if they so choose, and the post is clearly attributed to them.
    – Matt
    Apr 2, 2013 at 19:19

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