Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,357 as of 2018, making it the municipality with the most people in the county The name of the town comes from the phrase "bend in the corner where the children are" in the language of the original Dutch settlers, by the Dutch word "Kinderhoek." The eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren was born in Kinderhook.