Douw Jellise Fonda (1700–1780) was a prominent settler and trader in the Mohawk Valley of New York State. The village of Fonda, New York is named for him. Douw Fonda was born in Schenectady, New York on August 22, 1700, the third child of Jillis (or Jelles) Adam and Rachel (Winnie) Fonda. He married Maritje Vrooman on October 29, 1725. Around 1751, he moved to Caughnawaga. The couple had seven children. Maritje died in 1756, and apparently Douw remarried, to the widow Deborah (Veeder) Wimple. Fonda "conducted a flourishing trading business" in Caughnawaga.