～名
～めい · ～mei · JLPT N2 · noun
people
📛👥 名 = name: you count people by their names, one name per head
名 means name, so 三名 is literally three names, i.e. three people. It is the formal counter you hear in restaurants and announcements, while 人 (にん) is the everyday one. Mei also sounds like may: may I ask how many names, as in how many people?
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.