Tang Chinese historical records give Yeon Gaesomun's surname as Cheon (泉, "Quán" in Chinese, meaning "water spring"), because Yeon (淵, "Yuān" in Chinese, meaning "riverhead") was the given name of Emperor Gaozu (Lǐ Yuān, 李淵), the founding emperor of Tang, and thus subject to the naming taboo by Chinese tradition. Yeon Gaesomun is also sometimes referred to as Gaegeum (개금/蓋金). In the Nihon Shoki, he appears as Iri Kasumi (伊梨柯須彌). Since both Yeon Gaesomun and Iri Kasumi are transcriptions from Chinese and Japanese intending to approximate his Korean name, his actual name can be reconstructed as "Eol Kasum".