Luton is a town and unitary authority with borough status in Bedfordshire, England, with a population at the 2021 census of 225,262.The town is on the River Lea, 30 miles north-west of London, 18 miles north-west of Hertford, 20 miles south of Bedford and 22.5 miles south-east of Milton Keynes. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settlement on the river, from which Luton derives its name. Luton is recorded in the Domesday Book as Loitone and Lintone.