Imad al-Din Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (c. 1300–1373 CE, 700–774 AH) was a Sunni scholar of tafsir, hadith, history and Shafi'i law. He was born near Bosra in Syria, then part of the Mamluk Sultanate, and spent his life in Damascus, where he studied under scholars including Ibn Taymiyyah, al-Mizzi and al-Dhahabi, and later taught.
His Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, known as Tafsir Ibn Kathir, explains the Quran first by the Quran itself, then by hadith and the reports of the Companions and their students. It is one of the most widely read commentaries today, especially in its abridged English translation. He also wrote al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya, a history from creation, including the stories of the prophets beginning with Adam, to his own time.
He died in Damascus on 27 February 1373 and was buried there.
In the chat on Quran 2:31, his tafsir is cited for the view, reported from Ibn Abbas, that Adam was taught the names of all things.
Sources: Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Quran 2:31 (Quran.com) · Wikipedia