John Calvin Commentary Genesis 2:19

"And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof." — Genesis 2:19 (ASV)

And out of the ground the Lord God formed, etc. This is a more detailed explanation of the preceding sentence, for he says that, of all the animals, when they had been placed in order, not one was found that could be given to and suited for Adam; nor was there such a similarity of nature that Adam could choose a life companion for himself from any one species.

Nor did this occur because of ignorance, for each species had passed in review before Adam, and he had assigned names to them, not rashly but from certain knowledge; yet there was no suitable correspondence between him and them. Therefore, unless a wife of his own kind had been given to him, he would have remained without a suitable and proper helper.

Moreover, what is said here about God’s bringing the animals to Adam means nothing other than that He endowed them with the disposition to obedience, so that they would voluntarily present themselves to the man, in order that he, having closely inspected them, might distinguish them by appropriate names, agreeing with the nature of each.

This gentleness towards humankind would have remained even in wild beasts, if Adam, by his rebellion against God, had not lost the authority he had previously received. But now, from the time he began to be rebellious against God, he experienced the ferocity of brute animals towards himself; for some are tamed with difficulty, others always remain untamed, and some, even of their own accord, inspire us with terror by their fierceness.

Yet some remnants of their former subjection continue to this day, as we will see in the second verse of the ninth chapter (Genesis 9:2).

Besides, it should be noted that Moses speaks only of those animals that are closest to humankind, for fish live as if in another world. As for the names Adam assigned, I do not doubt that each of them was founded on the best reason; but their use, along with many other good things, has become obsolete.