In Persepolis Rising, book 7 of the Expanse series, there is a character named
Payne Houston
This name makes
Drummer
cough "with contempt and laughter" and say "I'm assuming that's his own choice and not what his mommy called him."
What makes the name funny? Is it because Payne sounds like "pain?" Is Houston a reference to the space center in Houston, Texas?
I haven't read the whole book yet and even if I finish it, I assume others coming to this question won't have read it, so if the explanation for the name requires reading the rest of the book, I'd appreciate it if such answers used spoilers.