Deacon comes from the Greek DIAKONOS, a word that meant simply a servant. It was never used as a title and is most often translated as servant or minister.
Hence the term could applied to anyone who performed some service within the church and was fittingly applied to Jesus, Paul, and Phoebe, a sister was termed a diakonos in the congregation of Cenchreae, as were others.
Like Timothy or Stephen one might be appointed for a particular task by laying on of hands but Timothy did not become Deacon Timothy thereby.