Why is the capital city of the UK known as London, rather than Westminster?

by TheWinterKing

As I understand it, modern London was formed as many smaller entities grew and merged together, including the cities of London and Westminster. Since all the government buildings are located in Westminster, why was the name London given to the whole metropolis?

crb11

London was by far the larger, and grew to meet and surround Westminster, rather than the other way around. This happened in the later 17th century: population of London 200k in 1600, 575k in 1700. source. I don't have population estimates for Westminster, but this 1593 map gives the relative sizes.