Tantalo Family History

Italian and Greek (Tantalos, Tandalos): from a nickname or humanistic name based on classical Greek Tantalos, name of a mythological king of Sipylos, who offended the gods and was punished in the underworld by being forced to stand up to his neck in water, which sank down whenever he tried to drink it. It may be a nickname for someone who was tantalized.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press