The VILLIN (VLN) protein is an important regulator of the actin cytoskeleton, which orchestrates many developmental processes and participates in various biotic and abiotic responses in plants. Although theVLNgene family and their potential functions have been analyzed in several plants, knowledge ofVLNgenes in soybeans and legumes remains rather limited. In this study, a total of 35 VLNs were characterized from soybean and five related legumes. Combining with the VLN sequences from other nine land plants, we categorized theVLNgene family into three groups according to phylogenetic relationships. Further detailed analysis of the soybean VLNs indicated that the tenGmVLNswere distributed on 10 of the 20 chromosomes, and their gene structures and protein motifs showed high group specificities. The expression pattern analysis suggested that mostGmVLNsare widely expressed in various tissues, but three members have a very high level in seeds. Moreover, we observed that the cis−elements enriched in the promoters ofGmVLNsare mainly related to abiotic stresses, hormone signals, and developmental processes. The largest number of cis−elements were associated with light responses, and twoGmVLNs,GmVLN5a, andGmVLN5bwere significantly increased under the long light condition. This study not only provides some basic information about theVLNgene family but also provides a good reference for further characterizing the diverse functions ofVLNgenes in soybeans.