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Growth-regulating factors (GRFs) are plant-specific transcription factors that play essential roles in regulating plant growth and stress response. The <i>GRF</i> gene families have been described in several terrestrial plants, but a comprehensive analysis of these genes in diverse aquatic species has not been reported yet. In this study, we identified 130 <i>GRF</i> genes in 13 aquatic plants, including floating plants (<i>Azolla filiculoides</i>, <i>Wolffia australiana</i>, <i>Lemna minuta</i>, <i>Spirodela intermedia</i>, and <i>Spirodela polyrhiza</i>), floating-leaved plants (<i>Nymphaea colorata</i> and <i>Euryale ferox</i>), submersed plants (<i>Zostera marina</i>, <i>Ceratophyllum demersum</i>, <i>Aldrovanda vesiculosa</i>, and <i>Utricularia gibba</i>), an emergent plant (<i>Nelumbo nucifera</i>), and an amphibious plant (<i>Cladopus chinensis</i>). The gene structures, motifs, and cis-acting regulatory elements of these genes were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis divided these <i>GRFs</i> into five clusters, and ABRE cis-elements were highly enriched in the promoter region of the <i>GRFs</i> in floating plants. We found that abscisic acid (ABA) is efficient at inducing the turion of <i>Spirodela polyrhiza</i> (giant duckweed), accompanied by the fluctuated expression of <i>SpGRF</i> genes in their fronds. Our results provide information about the <i>GRF</i> gene family in aquatic species and lay the foundation for future studies on the functions of these genes.