diff --git a/esphome/components/mapping/__init__.py b/esphome/components/mapping/__init__.py
index a36b414fd..3c7d78a27 100644
--- a/esphome/components/mapping/__init__.py
+++ b/esphome/components/mapping/__init__.py
@@ -1,18 +1,27 @@
+from collections.abc import Callable
 import difflib
 
 import esphome.codegen as cg
+from esphome.components.const import KEY_METADATA
 import esphome.config_validation as cv
 from esphome.const import CONF_FROM, CONF_ID, CONF_TO
-from esphome.core import CORE
-from esphome.cpp_generator import MockObj, VariableDeclarationExpression, add_global
+from esphome.core import CORE, ID
+from esphome.cpp_generator import (
+    MockObj,
+    MockObjClass,
+    VariableDeclarationExpression,
+    add_global,
+)
 from esphome.loader import get_component
 
 CODEOWNERS = ["@clydebarrow"]
 MULTI_CONF = True
+DOMAIN = "mapping"
 
 mapping_ns = cg.esphome_ns.namespace("mapping")
 mapping_class = mapping_ns.class_("Mapping")
 
+CONF_DEFAULT_VALUE = "default_value"
 CONF_ENTRIES = "entries"
 CONF_CLASS = "class"
 
@@ -22,11 +31,18 @@ class IndexType:
     Represents a type of index in a map.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, validator, data_type, conversion):
+    def __init__(
+        self, validator: Callable, data_type: MockObj, conversion: Callable = None
+    ) -> None:
         self.validator = validator
         self.data_type = data_type
         self.conversion = conversion
 
+    async def convert_value(self, value):
+        if self.conversion:
+            return self.conversion(value)
+        return await cg.get_variable(value)
+
 
 INDEX_TYPES = {
     "int": IndexType(cv.int_, cg.int_, int),
@@ -38,6 +54,12 @@ INDEX_TYPES = {
 }
 
 
+class MappingMetaData:
+    def __init__(self, from_: IndexType, to_: IndexType) -> None:
+        self.from_ = from_
+        self.to_ = to_
+
+
 def to_schema(value):
     """
     Generate a schema for the 'to' field of a map. This can be either one of the index types or a class name.
@@ -60,7 +82,7 @@ BASE_SCHEMA = cv.Schema(
 )
 
 
-def get_object_type(to_):
+def get_object_type(to_) -> MockObjClass | None:
     """
     Get the object type from a string. Possible formats:
        xxx The name of a component which defines INSTANCE_TYPE
@@ -81,25 +103,60 @@ def get_object_type(to_):
     return None
 
 
+def get_all_mapping_metadata() -> dict[str, MappingMetaData]:
+    """Get all mapping metadata."""
+    return CORE.data.setdefault(DOMAIN, {}).setdefault(KEY_METADATA, {})
+
+
+def get_mapping_metadata(mapping_id: str) -> MappingMetaData:
+    """Get mapping metadata by ID for use by other components."""
+    return get_all_mapping_metadata()[mapping_id]
+
+
+def add_metadata(
+    mapping_id: ID,
+    from_: IndexType,
+    to_: IndexType,
+) -> None:
+    get_all_mapping_metadata()[mapping_id.id] = MappingMetaData(from_, to_)
+
+
 def map_schema(config):
     config = BASE_SCHEMA(config)
     if CONF_ENTRIES not in config or not isinstance(config[CONF_ENTRIES], dict):
-        raise cv.Invalid("an entries list is required for a map")
+        raise cv.Invalid("an entries dictionary is required for a mapping")
     entries = config[CONF_ENTRIES]
     if len(entries) == 0:
-        raise cv.Invalid("Map must have at least one entry")
+        raise cv.Invalid("A mapping must have at least one entry")
     to_ = config[CONF_TO]
     if to_ in INDEX_TYPES:
-        value_type = INDEX_TYPES[to_].validator
+        value_type = INDEX_TYPES[to_]
     else:
-        value_type = get_object_type(to_)
-        if value_type is None:
+        object_type = get_object_type(to_)
+        if object_type is None:
             matches = difflib.get_close_matches(to_, CORE.id_classes)
             raise cv.Invalid(
                 f"No known mappable class name matches '{to_}'; did you mean one of {', '.join(matches)}?"
             )
-        value_type = cv.use_id(value_type)
-    config[CONF_ENTRIES] = {k: value_type(v) for k, v in entries.items()}
+        validator = cv.use_id(object_type)
+        value_type = IndexType(validator, object_type)
+    config[CONF_ENTRIES] = {k: value_type.validator(v) for k, v in entries.items()}
+    if (default_value := config.get(CONF_DEFAULT_VALUE)) is not None:
+        config[CONF_DEFAULT_VALUE] = value_type.validator(default_value)
+    unexpected_keys = config.keys() - {
+        CONF_ENTRIES,
+        CONF_TO,
+        CONF_FROM,
+        CONF_ID,
+        CONF_DEFAULT_VALUE,
+    }
+    if unexpected_keys:
+        errors = [
+            cv.Invalid(f"Unexpected key '{k}'", path=[k]) for k in unexpected_keys
+        ]
+        raise cv.MultipleInvalid(errors)
+
+    add_metadata(config[CONF_ID], INDEX_TYPES[config[CONF_FROM]], value_type)
     return config
 
 
@@ -107,29 +164,19 @@ CONFIG_SCHEMA = map_schema
 
 
 async def to_code(config):
-    entries = config[CONF_ENTRIES]
-    from_ = config[CONF_FROM]
-    to_ = config[CONF_TO]
-    index_conversion = INDEX_TYPES[from_].conversion
-    index_type = INDEX_TYPES[from_].data_type
-    if to_ in INDEX_TYPES:
-        value_conversion = INDEX_TYPES[to_].conversion
-        value_type = INDEX_TYPES[to_].data_type
-        entries = {
-            index_conversion(key): value_conversion(value)
-            for key, value in entries.items()
-        }
-    else:
-        entries = {
-            index_conversion(key): await cg.get_variable(value)
-            for key, value in entries.items()
-        }
-        value_type = get_object_type(to_)
-        if list(entries.values())[0].op != ".":
-            value_type = value_type.operator("ptr")
     varid = config[CONF_ID]
+    metadata = get_mapping_metadata(varid.id)
+    entries = {
+        metadata.from_.conversion(key): await metadata.to_.convert_value(value)
+        for key, value in config[CONF_ENTRIES].items()
+    }
+    value_type = metadata.to_.data_type
+    # entries guaranteed to be non-empty here.
+    value_0 = list(entries.values())[0]
+    if isinstance(value_0, MockObj) and value_0.op != ".":
+        value_type = value_type.operator("ptr")
     varid.type = mapping_class.template(
-        index_type,
+        metadata.from_.data_type,
         value_type,
     )
     var = MockObj(varid, ".")
@@ -139,4 +186,6 @@ async def to_code(config):
 
     for key, value in entries.items():
         cg.add(var.set(key, value))
+    if (default_value := config.get(CONF_DEFAULT_VALUE)) is not None:
+        cg.add(var.set_default_value(await metadata.to_.convert_value(default_value)))
     return var
diff --git a/esphome/components/mapping/mapping.h b/esphome/components/mapping/mapping.h
index 2b8f0d39b..d6790caa3 100644
--- a/esphome/components/mapping/mapping.h
+++ b/esphome/components/mapping/mapping.h
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ template<typename K, typename V> class Mapping {
     if (it != this->map_.end()) {
       return V{it->second};
     }
+    if (this->default_value_.has_value()) {
+      return this->default_value_.value();
+    }
     if constexpr (std::is_pointer_v<K>) {
       esph_log_e(TAG, "Key '%p' not found in mapping", key);
     } else if constexpr (std::is_same_v<K, std::string>) {
@@ -69,11 +72,17 @@ template<typename K, typename V> class Mapping {
     if (it != this->map_.end()) {
       return it->second.c_str();  // safe since value remains in map
     }
+    if (this->default_value_.has_value()) {
+      return this->default_value_.value();
+    }
     return "";
   }
 
+  void set_default_value(const V &default_value) { this->default_value_ = default_value; }
+
  protected:
   std::map<key_t, value_t, std::less<key_t>, RAMAllocator<std::pair<key_t, value_t>>> map_;
+  std::optional<V> default_value_{};
 };
 
 }  // namespace esphome::mapping
diff --git a/esphome/loader.py b/esphome/loader.py
index 9390b8094..2405fa6f8 100644
--- a/esphome/loader.py
+++ b/esphome/loader.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from typing import Any
 from esphome.const import SOURCE_FILE_EXTENSIONS
 from esphome.core import CORE
 import esphome.core.config
+from esphome.cpp_generator import MockObjClass
 from esphome.types import ConfigType
 
 _LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ class ComponentManifest:
         return getattr(self.module, "CODEOWNERS", [])
 
     @property
-    def instance_type(self) -> list[str]:
+    def instance_type(self) -> MockObjClass | None:
         return getattr(self.module, "INSTANCE_TYPE", None)
 
     @property
diff --git a/tests/components/mapping/common.yaml b/tests/components/mapping/common.yaml
index 7ffcfa4f6..b3db9d54e 100644
--- a/tests/components/mapping/common.yaml
+++ b/tests/components/mapping/common.yaml
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ mapping:
     entries:
       clear-night: image_1
       sunny: image_2
+    default_value: image_1
   - id: weather_map_2
     from: string
     to: image
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@ mapping:
       2: "two"
       3: "three"
       77: "seventy-seven"
+    default_value: unknown
   - id: string_map
     from: string
     to: int
diff --git a/tests/components/mapping/test.esp32-idf.yaml b/tests/components/mapping/test.esp32-idf.yaml
index a35b6940c..93adcf998 100644
--- a/tests/components/mapping/test.esp32-idf.yaml
+++ b/tests/components/mapping/test.esp32-idf.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ packages:
 
 display:
   spi_id: spi_bus
-  platform: ili9xxx
+  platform: mipi_spi
   id: main_lcd
   model: ili9342
   cs_pin: 12
diff --git a/tests/components/mapping/test.esp8266-ard.yaml b/tests/components/mapping/test.esp8266-ard.yaml
index c59821a21..6a308b67d 100644
--- a/tests/components/mapping/test.esp8266-ard.yaml
+++ b/tests/components/mapping/test.esp8266-ard.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ packages:
 
 display:
   spi_id: spi_bus
-  platform: ili9xxx
+  platform: mipi_spi
   id: main_lcd
   model: ili9342
   cs_pin: 5
diff --git a/tests/components/mapping/test.rp2040-ard.yaml b/tests/components/mapping/test.rp2040-ard.yaml
index fdfed5f6a..01b83c4ab 100644
--- a/tests/components/mapping/test.rp2040-ard.yaml
+++ b/tests/components/mapping/test.rp2040-ard.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ packages:
 
 display:
   spi_id: spi_bus
-  platform: ili9xxx
+  platform: mipi_spi
   id: main_lcd
   model: ili9342
   data_rate: 31.25MHz