Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States.  The population was 8,498 at the 2010 census, the most populous municipality in Columbia County.  The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in the language of the original Dutch settlers (Kinderhoek). The name first appears on a map of the Hudson River dating about 1615. A rock formation or similar feature which no longer esists may have reminded early sailors of children. This "hook" in the river was located where the town of Stuyvesant is today.