fluffwise, sure. call it whatever you want. mechanically however, no, a falchion is a falchion, and a scimitar is a scimitar. So no buying weapon focus falchion and getting a +1 on a scimitar, etc.
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Fluff wise, the appearance and denominations of the different swords are so varied between locations and years that there is no problem in calling a scimitar a "small falchion" or "a one-handed falchion".
What doesn't work is using the stats of one for the other or saying that a size small falchion is a scimitar for feats and other abilities.
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Just for a laugh about the in-game and out of game definition of what is a Falchion:
A falchion (/ˈfɔːltʃən/; Old French: fauchon; Latin: falx, "sickle") is a one-handed, single-edged sword of European origin. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 13th century up to and including the 16th century. In some versions, the falchion looks rather like the seax and later the sabre, and in other versions more like a machete with a crossguard.
Category Two-Handed; Proficiency Martial
Weapon Groups Blades, Heavy
Description
This sword has one curved, sharp edge like a scimitar, with the back edge unsharpened and either flat or slightly curved. Its weight is greater toward the end, making it better for chopping rather than stabbing.
As a person who was a sword nerd before getting into PF, it always perplexed me that a falchion was considered a two-handed sword.
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As a person who was a sword nerd before getting into PF, it always perplexed me that a falchion was considered a two-handed sword.
While the Longsword issue goes back to the earliest versions of D&D and probably reflects a misunderstanding by the original game creators, I believe the 'two handed Falchion' was a D&D3.0 change and simply reflects the fact that the scimitar fills the one-handed slot on the weapons chart and they didn't want to call the two-handed version a Greatscimitar, so they called it a 'Falchion' instead.
I feel this is a question that shouldn't ask us, but rather your GM and group.
My question, though, would be "why?". The differentiation between similar swords is arbitrary at best and outright historically wrong at worst, but you aren't asking the question without reason. Single-edged, curved swords fit into a veriaty of settings... but the stuff you want to use a scimitar for might not. Like Dervish Dance, that is the part you have to re-flavor, not the weapon!
A one-handed falchion is, in game terms, a scimitar. It's a crit-heavy slashing sword.
In real life, falchions varied in size, and some would actually be scimitars in Pathfinder.
The only real difference between a scimitar and a mid-sized (RL) falchion is a scimitar has a swept blade, a falchion is straight on the back. There are some further distinctions you could make, but a lot of those would just exclude more and more of what the game calls scimitars, as well.
A katana is just a "bastard" scimitar. Later blades have a little more a stabbing capability, but not enough to change the damage type.
As long as it works like a scimitar for gameplay purposes, you can imagine your scimitar is a rusty old kitchen knife. Nobody's stopping you.
The real question is, what are you expecting the GM to do about this? Do they have to say, "You find a +3 scimitar-sized falchion," instead of "You find a +3 scimitar?"