During the Han and Tang dynasties, people thought up all sorts of ways of putting "gui," the Chinese character for turtle, into their own names. Besides the famous Tang dynasty musician Li Gui-nian, Bai Ju-yi, whose poetry could be understood even by old women, named his beloved nephew Gui-lang. The Japanese followed suit, and today the character appears in Japanese surnames and given names.
漢、唐時代，人們爭相以龜字入名，各式龜名，不可勝數，除知名的唐朝樂師李龜年，做詩老嫗能解的白居易，也將自己鍾愛的姪兒取名龜郎，日本受中國影響，至今也有姓龜田、名龜太郎者。