diff --git a/pkg/exporter/exporter.go b/pkg/exporter/exporter.go
index e2f202d..7967b8d 100644
--- a/pkg/exporter/exporter.go
+++ b/pkg/exporter/exporter.go
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func (b *Exporter) handleEvent(thisEvent event.Event) {
 			t = mapping.ObserverType
 		}
 		if t == mapper.ObserverTypeDefault {
-			t = b.Mapper.Defaults.ObsereverType
+			t = b.Mapper.Defaults.ObserverType
 		}
 
 		switch t {
diff --git a/pkg/exporter/exporter_test.go b/pkg/exporter/exporter_test.go
index 2802ac1..c92221b 100644
--- a/pkg/exporter/exporter_test.go
+++ b/pkg/exporter/exporter_test.go
@@ -711,7 +711,7 @@ func TestHistogramUnits(t *testing.T) {
 		testMapper := mapper.MetricMapper{}
 		testMapper.InitCache(0)
 		ex := NewExporter(&testMapper, log.NewNopLogger(), eventsActions, eventsUnmapped, errorEventStats, eventStats, conflictingEventStats, metricsCount)
-		ex.Mapper.Defaults.ObsereverType = mapper.ObserverTypeHistogram
+		ex.Mapper.Defaults.ObserverType = mapper.ObserverTypeHistogram
 		ex.Listen(events)
 	}()
 
diff --git a/pkg/mapper/mapper.go b/pkg/mapper/mapper.go
index dc9a17b..3638b1f 100644
--- a/pkg/mapper/mapper.go
+++ b/pkg/mapper/mapper.go
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ var (
 )
 
 type mapperConfigDefaults struct {
-	ObsereverType       ObserverType      `yaml:"observer_type"`
+	ObserverType        ObserverType      `yaml:"observer_type"`
+	TimerType           ObserverType      `yaml:"timer_type,omitempty"` // DEPRECATED - field only present to preserve backwards compatibility in configs. Always empty
 	Buckets             []float64         `yaml:"buckets"`
 	Quantiles           []metricObjective `yaml:"quantiles"`
 	MatchType           MatchType         `yaml:"match_type"`
@@ -64,7 +65,8 @@ type MetricMapping struct {
 	Labels           prometheus.Labels `yaml:"labels"`
 	labelKeys        []string
 	labelFormatters  []*fsm.TemplateFormatter
-	ObserverType     ObserverType      `yaml:"observer_type"`
+	ObserverType     ObserverType      `yaml:"observer_type,omitempty"`
+	TimerType        ObserverType      `yaml:"timer_type,omitempty"` // DEPRECATED - field only present to preserve backwards compatibility in configs. Always empty
 	LegacyBuckets    []float64         `yaml:"buckets"`
 	LegacyQuantiles  []metricObjective `yaml:"quantiles"`
 	MatchType        MatchType         `yaml:"match_type"`
@@ -98,6 +100,63 @@ var defaultQuantiles = []metricObjective{
 	{Quantile: 0.99, Error: 0.001},
 }
 
+// UnmarshalYAML is a custom unmarshal function to allow use of deprecated config keys
+// observer_type will override timer_type
+func (d *mapperConfigDefaults) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
+	type mapperConfigDefaultsAlias mapperConfigDefaults
+	var tmp mapperConfigDefaultsAlias
+	if err := unmarshal(&tmp); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Copy defaults
+	d.ObserverType = tmp.ObserverType
+	d.Buckets = tmp.Buckets
+	d.Quantiles = tmp.Quantiles
+	d.MatchType = tmp.MatchType
+	d.GlobDisableOrdering = tmp.GlobDisableOrdering
+	d.Ttl = tmp.Ttl
+
+	// Use deprecated TimerType if necessary
+	if tmp.ObserverType == "" {
+		d.ObserverType = tmp.TimerType
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// UnmarshalYAML is a custom unmarshal function to allow use of deprecated config keys
+// observer_type will override timer_type
+func (m *MetricMapping) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
+	type MetricMappingAlias MetricMapping
+	var tmp MetricMappingAlias
+	if err := unmarshal(&tmp); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Copy defaults
+	m.Match = tmp.Match
+	m.Name = tmp.Name
+	m.Labels = tmp.Labels
+	m.ObserverType = tmp.ObserverType
+	m.LegacyBuckets = tmp.LegacyBuckets
+	m.LegacyQuantiles = tmp.LegacyQuantiles
+	m.MatchType = tmp.MatchType
+	m.HelpText = tmp.HelpText
+	m.Action = tmp.Action
+	m.MatchMetricType = tmp.MatchMetricType
+	m.Ttl = tmp.Ttl
+	m.SummaryOptions = tmp.SummaryOptions
+	m.HistogramOptions = tmp.HistogramOptions
+
+	// Use deprecated TimerType if necessary
+	if tmp.ObserverType == "" {
+		m.ObserverType = tmp.TimerType
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (m *MetricMapper) InitFromYAMLString(fileContents string, cacheSize int, options ...CacheOption) error {
 	var n MetricMapper
 
@@ -182,7 +241,7 @@ func (m *MetricMapper) InitFromYAMLString(fileContents string, cacheSize int, op
 		}
 
 		if currentMapping.ObserverType == "" {
-			currentMapping.ObserverType = n.Defaults.ObsereverType
+			currentMapping.ObserverType = n.Defaults.ObserverType
 		}
 
 		if currentMapping.LegacyQuantiles != nil &&
diff --git a/pkg/mapper/mapper_test.go b/pkg/mapper/mapper_test.go
index f4de0b6..e00ae8f 100644
--- a/pkg/mapper/mapper_test.go
+++ b/pkg/mapper/mapper_test.go
@@ -449,6 +449,33 @@ mappings:
   observer_type: summary
   name: "foo"
   labels: {}
+  quantiles:
+    - quantile: 0.42
+      error: 0.04
+    - quantile: 0.7
+      error: 0.002
+  `,
+			mappings: mappings{
+				{
+					statsdMetric: "test.*.*",
+					name:         "foo",
+					labels:       map[string]string{},
+					quantiles: []metricObjective{
+						{Quantile: 0.42, Error: 0.04},
+						{Quantile: 0.7, Error: 0.002},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		// Config with good observer type and unused timer type
+		{
+			config: `---
+mappings:
+- match: test.*.*
+  observer_type: summary
+  timer_type: histogram
+  name: "foo"
+  labels: {}
   quantiles:
     - quantile: 0.42
       error: 0.04
@@ -474,6 +501,28 @@ mappings:
   observer_type: summary
   name: "foo"
   labels: {}
+  `,
+			mappings: mappings{
+				{
+					statsdMetric: "test1.*.*",
+					name:         "foo",
+					labels:       map[string]string{},
+					quantiles: []metricObjective{
+						{Quantile: 0.5, Error: 0.05},
+						{Quantile: 0.9, Error: 0.01},
+						{Quantile: 0.99, Error: 0.001},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		// Config with good deprecated timer type
+		{
+			config: `---
+mappings:
+- match: test1.*.*
+  timer_type: summary
+  name: "foo"
+  labels: {}
   `,
 			mappings: mappings{
 				{
@@ -495,6 +544,17 @@ mappings:
 - match: test.*.*
   observer_type: wrong
   name: "foo"
+  labels: {}
+    `,
+			configBad: true,
+		},
+		// Config with bad deprecated timer type.
+		{
+			config: `---
+mappings:
+- match: test.*.*
+  timer_type: wrong
+  name: "foo"
   labels: {}
     `,
 			configBad: true,
diff --git a/pkg/mapper/metric_type.go b/pkg/mapper/metric_type.go
index d98d80a..920c16e 100644
--- a/pkg/mapper/metric_type.go
+++ b/pkg/mapper/metric_type.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const (
 	MetricTypeCounter  MetricType = "counter"
 	MetricTypeGauge    MetricType = "gauge"
 	MetricTypeObserver MetricType = "observer"
+	MetricTypeTimer    MetricType = "timer" // DEPRECATED
 )
 
 func (m *MetricType) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
@@ -36,6 +37,8 @@ func (m *MetricType) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
 		*m = MetricTypeGauge
 	case MetricTypeObserver:
 		*m = MetricTypeObserver
+	case MetricTypeTimer:
+		*m = MetricTypeObserver
 	default:
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid metric type '%s'", v)
 	}