Tantalum (Greek Tantalos : mythological character, father of Niobe) was first discovered in 1802 by Ekeberg, but many chemists thought niobium and tantalum were identical elements until Rowe in 1844 and Marignac in 1866 showed independently that niobic and tantalic acids were two different acids. The first relatively pure ductile tantalum was produced by von Bolton in 1903.

Tantalum occurs principally in the mineral columbite-tantalite. Tantalum ores are mined in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, Portugal, Malaysia and Thailand.